P.3 New Faculty Members P.2 Departmental Update P.1 Words ...
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[email protected] Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ISSUE 1 April 2010 Words from the Head Departmental Update New Faculty Members 973 Project 01 02 04 05 Alumni Profile HKUST CEE PGSA News and Upcoming Events 06 07 08 01 WORDS from the Head t is my great pleasure to present the first issue of our Newsletter to you. It is the result of many months of hard work from the faculty members involved. We plan to publish a new issue every six months to facilitate communications among the Department, our students and our alumni. The Department is now close to 20 years old but we are still undergoing continuous development. The change of university programs to 4-years in 2012 offers a great opportunity to re-visit undergraduate education and to develop a better curriculum for the next generation of engineers. Meanwhile, the global awareness of issues related to sustainability, urbanization and the environment, as well as the frequent occurrence of natural hazards (including earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis), have called upon civil and environmental engineers to provide solutions for the improvement of human well-being. As always, our faculty members are working very hard to make the Department a regional and international leader in teaching and research. We will keep everyone posted on our new endeavors and exciting achievements. Many of our alumni are having outstanding careers. Some have been promoted toposts as directors or senior associates of major companies, while others have become successful university professors, in both Mainland China and overseas. They are involved in exciting and highly visible construction projects, such as the Burj Dubai and the HK-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. Our students have also been doing very well, receiving awards from professional organizations, winning international competitions, participating in meaningful voluntary work and organizing educational activities for secondary students. I hope our alumni and students will be actively providing us with interesting stories about their work, achievements and activities, which can be shared with others through the Newsletter. Besides covering educational and professional aspects, the Newsletter will also have a lighter side. We are going to report on social functions organized by our students or alumni, their interesting undertakings (do you know one of our graduate students recently made a trip to Antarctica?) as well as news on marriages and new-born babies. We are all part of the HKUST Civil and Environmental Engineering family and it’s always nice to know how others are doing. I hope you’ll enjoy reading the newsletter. Your comments and suggestions for improving its content and/or presentation are most welcome. Professor Christopher Leung, Department Head I
Transcript of P.3 New Faculty Members P.2 Departmental Update P.1 Words ...
hich year did you graduate? If you graduated in the early days, you may not know that the department has gone
through two name changes: from Civil and Structural Engineering to Civil Engineering in 1998 and recently, in 2008, to Civil and Environmental Engineering. You may be puzzled as to why, but our direction and intentions are clear. Certainly our department will surf on the big environment-sustainability-carbon wave which is expected to surge and affect global economic development in the next few decades.
New faculty recruitment is aligned with the transformation of our department. In addition to maintaining our existing strength by recruiting Professors Eric Zhang, Xiangru Zhang, Gang Wang and Jidong Zhao in the last three years, Professor Gustaaf Kikkert in environmental hydraulics and Prof. Jui-Pin Wang in geotechnical engineering are now on board. Some of you probably know Professor Jack Cheng, who was one of our graduates, who now returns to us as a faculty member in construction management. With them, we will better define and will enhance our strengths in:
■ Infrastructure development and planning
■ Green building and sustainable development
■ Intelligent construction materials
■ Environmental and water resources studies
In UG education, currently we have 319 (CIVL), 67 (CIEV), and 18 (Dual Degree) students enrolled in our department. In 2009, 79 (CIVL), 26 (CIEV), and 5 (Dual Degree) students graduated and became our valuable alumni. Eighty-one of them responded to a departmental survey in September 2009 about their job placements. 87% of them are employed and 7% are taking PG studies. Among those who are employed, most are working for consulting firms and
contractors while the rest are associated with government and suppliers/developers. Most of them (76%) received starting salaries between $12,000-16,000.
In the past few years, Mock Construction Training has been gradually replaced by the Summer Internship Scheme which used to be offered only to students with good CGA. With the department’s effort and the strong support from companies and alumni, the number of summer internships offered to our students continues to rise. In 2009, out of 125 students, 116 students have undertaken summer internships. We do need your continuous strong support and hopefully we can completely phase out the Mock Construction Training in the near future.
Preparation for the new 3-3-4 conversion in the university is at full thrust. With the first batch of students arriving in 2012, the university is currently undergoing major expansion and renovation to accommodate the increase of the student population. At the departmental level, curricular changes have also been planned for the four-year programs. After 2012, students will be admitted to schools rather than individual departments. To cope with the diversified background of these students, two major changes will take effect from 2012:
■ There will be common university core courses in Year 1
■ There will be common school pre-major courses in Year 2.
national key project on concrete studies under China’s National Basic Research Program, also known as the 973
project, has commenced on April 18, 2009 at the project’s managing institution, Southeast University in Nanjing, China.
Entitled “Basic Research on Environmentally Friendly Contemporary Concrete”, this project is the first and only 973 project featuring concrete studies. The project is aimed at achieving better understanding of the fundamental hydration mechanism of contemporary concrete, the microstructure formation and its impact on the performance of concrete, as well as the deterioration mechanism of concrete under the combined effects of loading and environmental factors. Such understanding is crucial for effectively using mineral admixtures in contemporary concrete, to develop new concretes with better ductility, and to fulfill the need of service life design, addressing both safety and durability issues. The project is composed of five tasks: microstructure modeling of cement paste; microstructure-based constitutive relations of contemporary concrete; deterioration mechanism of contemporary concrete under the coupling actions of chemical and mechanical loading; service life design theory of concrete structures under complex environments; and key techniques for contemporary concrete property enhancements.
Concrete is the world’s most widely used construction material. In China, the consumption of concrete in 2008 was close to 7 billion tons, accounting for nearly 45% of the global consumption. This project is funded under the realization that China’s infrastructural construction has been developing at a phenomenal speed. It has built half of the world’s new bridges, and in five years’ time, the total highway network in Mainland China will amount to 65,000 kilometers. There is a pressing need for scientists to help prolong the service life of structures and buildings in China. The National Basic Research Project 973 was named after its launch date March 1997. It covers seven research areas, including agriculture, energy, information, resources and the environment, population and health, materials, and synthesis and frontier science.
Prof. Zongjin Li of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has been appointed as the Chief Scientist of the project. He is working closely with a cross-boundary and multi-disciplinary research team comprising 83 scientists from eight institutions in China, including Southeast University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan University of Technology, Zhejiang University, Jiangsu Research Institute of Building Science Co. Ltd, Tongji University, Wuhan University, and Tsinghua University. The 5-year budget for the project is about 30 million RMB. It may be extended after completion of the first phase of research in 2013.
Establishment of HKUST CEE PGSAIn last 24 months, Prof. Paul Chang has initiated discussion among our alumni in Hong Kong, Mainland China and Overseas to establish our alumni association. An organizing committee of our Postgraduates and Scholars Association has been set-up with the support of Derrick Leung, Morgan Yang, Haiyan Ming, Gary Ge, Wang Yu and Jimmy Zhang.
On 14 Mar 2010, we were pleased to announce that our Postgraduates and Scholars Association (HKUST CEE PGSA) was successfully established, witnessed by Prof. Chris Leung (Head of Department), 12 faculty members, honorable guest Prof. Wang Jiayuan (Vice-Dean of the College of Civil Engineering, Shenzhen University), Prof. Paul Chang and over 65 alumni.
Our Association will focus on the following areas: 1. Create an information exchange platform for our alumni; 2. Maintain and expand our alumni network;3. Optimize departmental support to our alumni for their career
development.
If you missed our gathering this time, DON’T WORRY you can send your contact information to us NOW [email protected] or contact a committee member. We will inform you about the details of the next gathering in Hangzhou China (April 2011) in due course. ALL HKUST CEE UGs, PGs, and Scholars and Alumni are welcome.
As a result, the department needs to provide and complete civil engineering training to our students within a two-year time frame. This is in contrast to what people might have expected in converting a three-year program to a four-year one. To overcome this seemingly impossible time constraint, the department has adopted the following philosophy in designing our new curriculum:
■ Equip students with basic transferable skills such as
language, communication, critical thinking, quantitative
reasoning, etc.
■ Train students in engineering fundamentals essential to
both professional engineers and academic researchers.
■ Provide students with sufficient breadth of knowledge
enabling them to function effectively in large civil
engineering projects while maintaining flexibility to pursue
specialization or even a minor degree from other
disciplines.
■ Challenge students with research-type open-ended
problems, stimulate self-learning and improve
problem-solving skills
With these principles in mind, courses for the civil and structural (CIVL) program are grouped into foundation courses, core courses and elective courses. The foundation courses include Introduction to Civil Engineering, Statics and Dynamics, and Strength of Materials. The core courses consist of one main course from each of the six areas: structural, geotechnical, transportation, materials, hydraulics and construction management. Students are required to take all foundation courses and four core courses which should include Structural Analysis and Soil Mechanics. They also need to declare at least one area of specialization and take three elective courses in that area. Of course, the Capstone Design course and the Final Year project remain a required and integrated component in our programs.
Department of
Civil and Environmental EngineeringThe Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
P.1 Words from the Head
P.2 Departmental Update
P.3 New Faculty Members
P.5 973 Project
P.6 Alumni Profile
P.7 HKUST CEE PGSA
P.8 News and Upcoming Events
ISSUE 1 April 2010
Words from the Head
Departmental Update
New Faculty Members
973 Project
01
02
04
05
Alumni Profile
HKUST CEE PGSA
News and Upcoming Events
06
07
08
02 03
04 05
06 07
Consulting firm 65%
Contractor 65%
Supplier/Developer 11%
Goverment 3%
By so doing, the original three-year CIVL program can be packed into two years without sacrificing the depth and breadth of civil engineering training. In addition, the new program will give students more flexibility either to strengthen their professional interests or to explore other minor programs if they wish to. The revision of the civil and environmental program is also based on such philosophy. Details of our new programs will be available on the department’s website as 2012 approaches. If you have any comments or suggestions on our new curriculum, please forward them to the department.
Last but not least, our PG programs continue to grow steadily. Current enrollment includes 24 MPhil and 77 PhD students. In the past year, 12 MPhil and 16 PhD students graduated from our department. About one third of them continued to pursue an academic career in other institutes, working as professors or post-doctoral research fellows, and the remainder chose to practice what they have learned in industry. Our self-financed MSc program in Civil Infrastructural Engineering and Management (CIEM) provides an alternative choice for practicing engineers who wish to acquire advanced and up-to-date knowledge in civil engineering and obtain a post-graduate degree. The program can be completed in either part-time or full-time format and is well received both locally and internationally. Currently, there are 84 students enrolled in this program.
01
Dr. Jack C.P. Cheng Assistant Professor
Jack received both h i s B a c h e l o r a n d MPhil degree from the Department of Civi l Engineering, HKUST in 2004 and 2005, respectively.
He completed his PhD degree in Civi l Engineering at Stanford University in 2009. In 2003, he studied at Columbia University as a visiting student for a year under the Hongkong Bank Foundation Scholarship. He also received the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowship for his PhD study.
Jack’s cur rent research focuses on construction supply chain management, i n f o r m a t i o n a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n technologies in the built environment, and project del ivery and management. In 2008, Jack received the Best Research P a p e r A w a r d a t t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l Conference on Dig i ta l Government Research, and the Student Paper Second Prize at the European Conference on Product and Process Modelling.
Jack was born and grew up in Hong Kong. He l i kes c i ty l i fe , but he a lso en joys outdoor activities especially hiking. Sai Kung is one of his favourite places to hike. When at school, he joined and organized overnight tr ips, with both hik ing and camping, in summer. Squash and bridge are also Jack’s favourites.
Dr. Gustaaf Kikkert Assistant Professor
Dr. Kikkert grew up in The Netherlands and Oman, but obtained his undergraduate d e g r e e , i n C i v i l Engineering, and his PhD degree f rom
Canterbury University in New Zealand. Upon completion of his PhD, Dr. Kikkert moved to the United Kingdom to take up a post of Research Fellow at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. In 2008 he received the Karl Emil Hilgard Hydraulic Award from EWRI, a specialty organization within the ASCE. Dr. Kikkert is a citizen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, having also obtained Permanent Residency status in New Zealand.
The research carried out by Dr. Kikkert in the past six years has been in the area of experimental f luid dynamics and has focused on two topics in particular, buoyant jets and waves. Detailed concentration data for buoyant jets moving along two and three-dimensional paths were obtained to confirm the results of current outfal l modelling software, as well as indicate a reas tha t need more soph is t i ca te m o d e l l i n g t e c h n i q u e s . T h e w a v e experiments were designed to isolate the key fundamental processes, effects of roughness, permeability and sediment transport, which affect the hydrodynamics in the swash zone. Detailed velocity and depth measurements of waves in the swash zone were used to evaluate and parameterise the most important stress terms within the momentum equations and to test and develop advanced numerical models for swash on beaches. Additional topics of interests are turbulent
fluid processes and gravity-driven flows. In all cases involvement in experimental work is paramount.
Dr. Jui-Pin Wang Assistant Professor
JP received both his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from the Department o f G e o s c i e n c e s , N a t i o n a l T a i w a n University in 1999 and
2001, respectively. He completed his PhD d e g r e e i n t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f C i v i l Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at Columbia University in 2007. JP was a geotechnical engineer in the U.S. before coming to HKUST. In his two-year career as an engineer, JP accumulated engineering experience in seismic hazard analysis for nuclear power plant sites.
Currently, JP’s research interest focuses on probabi l i ty and r isk analys is in geotechnical engineering and geosciences, as wel l as geotechnical centr i fuge modeling. JP was born in Taipei, Taiwan. He is a baseball player and a die-hard baseball fan. Other than baseball, JP enjoys rock “n” roll and country music. Bon Jovi is one of JP’s favorite bands. In addition, JP is fond of bike riding and driving. Riding a Ducati to tour the world is one of the “Must-do’s” in JP’s life plans.
WORDSfrom the Head
t is my great pleasure to present the f irst issue of our Newsletter to you. It is the result of many months of hard work
from the faculty members involved. We plan to publish a new issue every six months to facilitate communications among the Department, our students and our alumni.
The Department is now close to 20 years old but we are still undergoing continuous development. The change of university programs to 4-years in 2012 offers a great opportunity to re-visit undergraduate education and to develop a better curriculum for the next generation of engineers. Meanwhile, the global awareness of issues related to sustainability, urbanization and the environment, as well as the frequent occurrence of natural hazards (including earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis), have cal led upon civi l and environmental engineers to provide solutions for the improvement of human well-being. As always, our faculty members are working very hard to make the Department a regional and international leader in teaching and research. We will keep everyone posted on our new endeavors and exciting achievements.
Many of our alumni are having outstanding careers. Some have been promoted toposts as directors or senior associates of major companies, while others have become successful university professors, in both Mainland China and overseas. They are involved in exciting and highly visible construction projects, such as the Burj Dubai and the HK-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. Our students have also been doing very wel l , receiv ing awards from professional organizations, winning international competitions, participating in meaningful voluntary work and organizing educational activities for secondary students. I hope our alumni and students will be actively providing us with interesting stories about their work, achievements and activities, which can be shared with others through the Newsletter.
Besides covering educational and professional aspects, the Newsletter will also have a lighter side. We are going to report on social functions organized by our students or alumni, their interesting undertakings (do you know one of our graduate students recently made a trip to Antarctica?) as well as news on marriages and new-born babies. We are all part of the HKUST Civil and Environmental Engineering family and it’s always nice to know how others are doing.
I hope you’ll enjoy reading the newsletter. Your comments and suggestions for improving its content and/or presentation are most welcome.
PTC
-G13
556
Contact UsEmail: [email protected]: (852) 2358-7154Website: http://www.ce.ust.hk/
Editorial BoardProf. CC ChangProf. Jack ChengProf. Thomas HuProf. Chii ShangMs. Emily Ma
Share your joys and happiness with your classmates! Send photos of your wedding or newborns to [email protected]
Secondary Schools Bridge Demonstration Competition 2010
Wu Zhi Qia ( ) built by the HKUST team無止橋
Prof. Gang Wang won 2009-2010 Li Foundation Heritage Prize
Prof. Gang Wang was recently awarded the 2009-2010 Li Foundation Heritage Prize for Excellence in Creativity. The Heritage Prize is the Li Foundation's top award given to Chinese scholars in all areas of science and medicine, as well as the arts and humanitarian fields of study. Prof. Wang is the only recipient of the prize this year, and he was cited for “outstanding and distinguished research contributions in the field of earthquake engineering and geo-hazard mitigation”.
HKIE Geotechnical Division Award - Best Student 2009-2010
Wang Rui, a 2008-09 CIVL graduate, has been awarded the HKIE Geotechnical Division Award - Best Student 2009-2010.
ASCE Best Final Year Project Award 2009
Safra Abdeen, a 2008-09 CIEV graduate, has been awarded the ASCE Best Final Year Project Award for 2009.
CIVL PG Team won the 2nd place in IDEERS 2009
Our PG team comprising Yu Changli (team leader/ MPhil), Jin Qingxu (MPhil), Wang Yiqiang (PhD) and Zhao Zhiyuan (PhD) has won 2nd place in "Introducing and Demonstrating Earthquake Engineering Research in Schools 2009 (IDEERS 2009)" held by the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering in Taipei.
HKUST Wu Zhi Qiao Team 2009
Our UG and PG students formed the HKUST Wu Zhi Qiao (無止橋)
Team and designed a bridge at Maan Village in Liangshan State, Sichuan. The bridge was successfully built by 40 student volunteers in October 2009.
Secondary Schools Bridge Demonstration Competition 2010
The Civil and Environmental Engineering Students’ Society of the HKUST organized a bridge design competition for secondary school students to promote their interest in the design and construction of civil engineering structures. The final round of the Competition was held on 2 February 2010 and Holy Trinity College won the championship.
Practitioner Mentorship Program 2010
The ASCE International Student Group, HKUSTCE will organize the one-year Practitioner Mentorship Program 2010 to provide our UG students with opportunities to meet and build networks with practicing civil engineers from different sectors. The Mentorship Program will start with a Welcome Dinner which will be held on 22 April 2010.
UGSAC2010
To promote interest and to enhance understanding in basic structural concepts, the Department is organizing a student competition: Undergraduate Structural Analysis Competition 2010 (UGSAC2010) on 24 April 2010 (Saturday) at Leung Yat Sing Lecture Theatre. The scope of UGSAC2010 is "Qualitative and quantitative behaviour of s t r u c t u r e s u n d e r s t a t i c l o a d s " . P l e a s e v i s i t http://www.ce.ust.hk/UGSAC2010 for further details and on-line registration.
2010 Civil and Environmental Engineering Department Alumni Homecoming Reunion
The Department is organizing an alumni homecoming reunion on 5 June 2010. This is a great opportunity to meet classmates and make new friends. In addition to the dinner party, sport events and lab/hall tours will be arranged in the afternoon. Please look for details on the department’s website. If you have any comments or suggestions, please send them to [email protected].
08
Prof. Zongjin Li was appointed as the Chief Scientist of a national 973 project
Basic Research on Environmentally Friendly
Contemporary Concrete- A national 973 project led by Prof. Zongjin Li
HKUST provided me with a good learning environment which helped to shape my professional career- Ir Barry Wong (CIVL BSc 95), Associate Director of Scott Wilson Limited
Ir. Barry Wong (CIVL BSc 95)
In early March, some of our alumni were invited to meet at HKUST and provide feedback on the proposed 334 curriculum of the undergraduate programs offered by our Department. Ir. Barry Wong, who was in the first class of students who graduated from our Department, was interviewed after the meeting. He is currently an Associate Director of Scott Wilson Limited.
What was your career path?
I started my career as a Graduate Engineer in Scott Wilson after I graduated from HKUST. I was appointed as a Resident Engineer for Penny’s Bay Reclamation Stage 1 (the area for Disneyland Development) and am now the Project Manager for some projects in Scott Wilson. I have been involved in various projects covering geotechnical engineering, building structures, and maritime engineering. The major ones include Kwai Chung Container Port Terminal 9, Tuen Mun River Trade Terminal, Penny’s Bay Reclamation, Terminals 1, 2 and 5 Upgrading Works and Kai Tak Cruise Terminal Development. I also had an opportunity to participate in civil engineering projects in Indonesia, Thailand, Korea, Australia and Pakistan.
How did your study at HKUST help your
career?
Studying at HKUST definitely helped the development of my career and personality. I am glad that I was in the first class of the Civil and Structural Engineering program. Since I had no senior classmates, I had to be creative and to learn how to do everything on my own. This was really important in the development of my judgment and working style. In addition, the courses offered at HKUST required understanding in the theoretical background and derivation of formulas. HKUST provided me with a good learning environment which helped to shape my professional career.
What is the most important lesson you
learned in industry over these years?
Team work is crucial. In recent years, I have also been aware of our social responsibility, specifically training up the next generation and focusing on public safety. If the first generation transfers 90% of knowledge to the second generation, which in turn transfers 90% of knowledge to the third generation and so on, the fourth generation is likely to obtain only 70% of the knowledge of the first generation. In order to maintain the quality of civi l engineers, I am now serving as a mentor in the Practitioner Mentorship Program organized by the ASCE International Students’ Group, HKUSTCE, which provides a platform for students to obtain a better understanding of civil engineering and our role/responsibility in society.
How do you see the future of the Hong
Kong construction industry?
There will still be a lot of core civil engineering construction projects in Hong Kong in the coming 5 to 10 years. However, Hong Kong has become a developed city. It is expected that the Hong Kong construction industry will have more maintenance and building modification projects (i.e. alterations and additions works), but the number of new construction projects will be reduced. Nevertheless, Hong Kong can be more involved in global construction projects, b e c a u s e H o n g K o n g h a s b e c o m e well-developed in terms of civil engineering knowledge and experience over the past few decades.
Any advice/recommendation to the
current CIVL students?
Firstly, remember that win-win situations among cont rac to rs , c l i en ts , and designers/engineers are possible in practice. Stakeholders do not always
adopt conflicting positions. Secondly, keep in mind the importance of presentation skills. Many students think that being technically strong is enough to succeed. Don’t forget that your ability to present yourself is also crucial. Thirdly, some HKUST students only target on being better than HKU students. Instead, HKUST students should target on being better than the rest of the world. Finally, make use of externa l resources such as practitioners and alumni network.
(Barry’s email: [email protected] )
Dr. Morgan Yang (CIVL PhD 96)Dr. Morgan Yang was the first PhD student from the department, and received his degree i n 1 9 9 6 . H i s dissertation was
“Finite Element Modeling and Aerodynamic Responses of Cable-Supported Bridges” under the supervision of Prof. Paul Chang. His distinguished research focused on the aerodynamic responses of a long span bridge in the time domain under severe wind conditions. The efficient numerical methods he developed have been applied to study the buffeting effects of long span cable supported bridges, including Tsing Ma and Qi Ao Bridges.
Dr Yang joined AECOM (Formerly Maunsell) in Hong Kong as an engineer in 1997 and currently he is a regional director in charge of transportation business in China. Morgan specializes in civil and geotechnical engineering with unique experience in the design of long span bridges, large scale tunnels and metro projects. He has been involving in numerous major transportation infrastructure projects, including the Chongming Tunnel, the largest TBM tunnel in the world, and the Sutong Bridge, the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world.
Morgan has published over 40 technical papers in journals and proceedings. He is an editor of “Tunnel Construction”, a technical journal in China.
(Morgan’s email: [email protected])
Establishment of HKUST CEE PGSA
Professor Christopher Leung,Department Head
973 ProjectNew Faculty Members
DepartmentalUpdate
Alumni Profile
HKUST CEE PGSA
News andUpcoming Events
First board members of HKUST CEE PGSA
Environmentalfriendlyconcrete
Techniquesfor concrete
propertyenhancements
Deteriorationof concrtete
underconplingactions
Microstructuremodeling of
cement paste
Service lifedesign forconcrete
structures
Microstructure-based
constitutiverelations
of concrete
Five tasks of the 973 project
W
A
I
The HKUST CEE PGSA first Board members were elected and are listed below:
PresidentLEUNG Hung Kwong Derrick (MPhil 94)[email protected]
Vice Presidents MING Haiyan (PhD 01)[email protected]
YANG Wenwu Morgan (PhD 96) [email protected]
Committee Members GAO Fuping (Visiting Scholar 00) [email protected]
GE Xuewu Gary (PhD 01) [email protected]
HU Shuang Susan (MSc 08)[email protected]
SIU Wingyee Barbara (PhD 09) [email protected]
SUN Yuenfong Richard (MPhil 99) [email protected]
WANG Yu (MPhil 99) [email protected]
YAN Waiman Ryan (PhD 03) [email protected]
YAO Jun Val (MPhil 00) [email protected]
ZHAN Liangtong Tony (PhD 03)[email protected]
ZHANG Lulu (PhD 05) [email protected]
ZHANG Nianquan Jimmy (PhD 01) [email protected]
AuditorJIN Zengxiang Alan (MPhil 02) [email protected]
hich year did you graduate? If you graduated in the early days, you may not know that the department has gone
through two name changes: from Civil and Structural Engineering to Civil Engineering in 1998 and recently, in 2008, to Civil and Environmental Engineering. You may be puzzled as to why, but our direction and intentions are clear. Certainly our department will surf on the big environment-sustainability-carbon wave which is expected to surge and affect global economic development in the next few decades.
New faculty recruitment is aligned with the transformation of our department. In addition to maintaining our existing strength by recruiting Professors Eric Zhang, Xiangru Zhang, Gang Wang and Jidong Zhao in the last three years, Professor Gustaaf Kikkert in environmental hydraulics and Prof. Jui-Pin Wang in geotechnical engineering are now on board. Some of you probably know Professor Jack Cheng, who was one of our graduates, who now returns to us as a faculty member in construction management. With them, we will better define and will enhance our strengths in:
■ Infrastructure development and planning
■ Green building and sustainable development
■ Intelligent construction materials
■ Environmental and water resources studies
In UG education, currently we have 319 (CIVL), 67 (CIEV), and 18 (Dual Degree) students enrolled in our department. In 2009, 79 (CIVL), 26 (CIEV), and 5 (Dual Degree) students graduated and became our valuable alumni. Eighty-one of them responded to a departmental survey in September 2009 about their job placements. 87% of them are employed and 7% are taking PG studies. Among those who are employed, most are working for consulting firms and
contractors while the rest are associated with government and suppliers/developers. Most of them (76%) received starting salaries between $12,000-16,000.
In the past few years, Mock Construction Training has been gradually replaced by the Summer Internship Scheme which used to be offered only to students with good CGA. With the department’s effort and the strong support from companies and alumni, the number of summer internships offered to our students continues to rise. In 2009, out of 125 students, 116 students have undertaken summer internships. We do need your continuous strong support and hopefully we can completely phase out the Mock Construction Training in the near future.
Preparation for the new 3-3-4 conversion in the university is at full thrust. With the first batch of students arriving in 2012, the university is currently undergoing major expansion and renovation to accommodate the increase of the student population. At the departmental level, curricular changes have also been planned for the four-year programs. After 2012, students will be admitted to schools rather than individual departments. To cope with the diversified background of these students, two major changes will take effect from 2012:
■ There will be common university core courses in Year 1
■ There will be common school pre-major courses in Year 2.
national key project on concrete studies under China’s National Basic Research Program, also known as the 973
project, has commenced on April 18, 2009 at the project’s managing institution, Southeast University in Nanjing, China.
Entitled “Basic Research on Environmentally Friendly Contemporary Concrete”, this project is the first and only 973 project featuring concrete studies. The project is aimed at achieving better understanding of the fundamental hydration mechanism of contemporary concrete, the microstructure formation and its impact on the performance of concrete, as well as the deterioration mechanism of concrete under the combined effects of loading and environmental factors. Such understanding is crucial for effectively using mineral admixtures in contemporary concrete, to develop new concretes with better ductility, and to fulfill the need of service life design, addressing both safety and durability issues. The project is composed of five tasks: microstructure modeling of cement paste; microstructure-based constitutive relations of contemporary concrete; deterioration mechanism of contemporary concrete under the coupling actions of chemical and mechanical loading; service life design theory of concrete structures under complex environments; and key techniques for contemporary concrete property enhancements.
Concrete is the world’s most widely used construction material. In China, the consumption of concrete in 2008 was close to 7 billion tons, accounting for nearly 45% of the global consumption. This project is funded under the realization that China’s infrastructural construction has been developing at a phenomenal speed. It has built half of the world’s new bridges, and in five years’ time, the total highway network in Mainland China will amount to 65,000 kilometers. There is a pressing need for scientists to help prolong the service life of structures and buildings in China. The National Basic Research Project 973 was named after its launch date March 1997. It covers seven research areas, including agriculture, energy, information, resources and the environment, population and health, materials, and synthesis and frontier science.
Prof. Zongjin Li of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has been appointed as the Chief Scientist of the project. He is working closely with a cross-boundary and multi-disciplinary research team comprising 83 scientists from eight institutions in China, including Southeast University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan University of Technology, Zhejiang University, Jiangsu Research Institute of Building Science Co. Ltd, Tongji University, Wuhan University, and Tsinghua University. The 5-year budget for the project is about 30 million RMB. It may be extended after completion of the first phase of research in 2013.
Establishment of HKUST CEE PGSAIn last 24 months, Prof. Paul Chang has initiated discussion among our alumni in Hong Kong, Mainland China and Overseas to establish our alumni association. An organizing committee of our Postgraduates and Scholars Association has been set-up with the support of Derrick Leung, Morgan Yang, Haiyan Ming, Gary Ge, Wang Yu and Jimmy Zhang.
On 14 Mar 2010, we were pleased to announce that our Postgraduates and Scholars Association (HKUST CEE PGSA) was successfully established, witnessed by Prof. Chris Leung (Head of Department), 12 faculty members, honorable guest Prof. Wang Jiayuan (Vice-Dean of the College of Civil Engineering, Shenzhen University), Prof. Paul Chang and over 65 alumni.
Our Association will focus on the following areas: 1. Create an information exchange platform for our alumni; 2. Maintain and expand our alumni network;3. Optimize departmental support to our alumni for their career
development.
If you missed our gathering this time, DON’T WORRY you can send your contact information to us NOW [email protected] or contact a committee member. We will inform you about the details of the next gathering in Hangzhou China (April 2011) in due course. ALL HKUST CEE UGs, PGs, and Scholars and Alumni are welcome.
As a result, the department needs to provide and complete civil engineering training to our students within a two-year time frame. This is in contrast to what people might have expected in converting a three-year program to a four-year one. To overcome this seemingly impossible time constraint, the department has adopted the following philosophy in designing our new curriculum:
■ Equip students with basic transferable skills such as
language, communication, critical thinking, quantitative
reasoning, etc.
■ Train students in engineering fundamentals essential to
both professional engineers and academic researchers.
■ Provide students with sufficient breadth of knowledge
enabling them to function effectively in large civil
engineering projects while maintaining flexibility to pursue
specialization or even a minor degree from other
disciplines.
■ Challenge students with research-type open-ended
problems, stimulate self-learning and improve
problem-solving skills
With these principles in mind, courses for the civil and structural (CIVL) program are grouped into foundation courses, core courses and elective courses. The foundation courses include Introduction to Civil Engineering, Statics and Dynamics, and Strength of Materials. The core courses consist of one main course from each of the six areas: structural, geotechnical, transportation, materials, hydraulics and construction management. Students are required to take all foundation courses and four core courses which should include Structural Analysis and Soil Mechanics. They also need to declare at least one area of specialization and take three elective courses in that area. Of course, the Capstone Design course and the Final Year project remain a required and integrated component in our programs.
Department of
Civil and Environmental EngineeringThe Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
P.1 Words from the Head
P.2 Departmental Update
P.3 New Faculty Members
P.5 973 Project
P.6 Alumni Profile
P.7 HKUST CEE PGSA
P.8 News and Upcoming Events
ISSUE 1 April 2010
Words from the Head
Departmental Update
New Faculty Members
973 Project
01
02
04
05
Alumni Profile
HKUST CEE PGSA
News and Upcoming Events
06
07
08
02 03
04 05
06 07
Consulting firm 65%
Contractor 65%
Supplier/Developer 11%
Goverment 3%
By so doing, the original three-year CIVL program can be packed into two years without sacrificing the depth and breadth of civil engineering training. In addition, the new program will give students more flexibility either to strengthen their professional interests or to explore other minor programs if they wish to. The revision of the civil and environmental program is also based on such philosophy. Details of our new programs will be available on the department’s website as 2012 approaches. If you have any comments or suggestions on our new curriculum, please forward them to the department.
Last but not least, our PG programs continue to grow steadily. Current enrollment includes 24 MPhil and 77 PhD students. In the past year, 12 MPhil and 16 PhD students graduated from our department. About one third of them continued to pursue an academic career in other institutes, working as professors or post-doctoral research fellows, and the remainder chose to practice what they have learned in industry. Our self-financed MSc program in Civil Infrastructural Engineering and Management (CIEM) provides an alternative choice for practicing engineers who wish to acquire advanced and up-to-date knowledge in civil engineering and obtain a post-graduate degree. The program can be completed in either part-time or full-time format and is well received both locally and internationally. Currently, there are 84 students enrolled in this program.
01
Dr. Jack C.P. Cheng Assistant Professor
Jack received both h i s B a c h e l o r a n d MPhil degree from the Department of Civi l Engineering, HKUST in 2004 and 2005, respectively.
He completed his PhD degree in Civi l Engineering at Stanford University in 2009. In 2003, he studied at Columbia University as a visiting student for a year under the Hongkong Bank Foundation Scholarship. He also received the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowship for his PhD study.
Jack’s cur rent research focuses on construction supply chain management, i n f o r m a t i o n a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n technologies in the built environment, and project del ivery and management. In 2008, Jack received the Best Research P a p e r A w a r d a t t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l Conference on Dig i ta l Government Research, and the Student Paper Second Prize at the European Conference on Product and Process Modelling.
Jack was born and grew up in Hong Kong. He l i kes c i ty l i fe , but he a lso en joys outdoor activities especially hiking. Sai Kung is one of his favourite places to hike. When at school, he joined and organized overnight tr ips, with both hik ing and camping, in summer. Squash and bridge are also Jack’s favourites.
Dr. Gustaaf Kikkert Assistant Professor
Dr. Kikkert grew up in The Netherlands and Oman, but obtained his undergraduate d e g r e e , i n C i v i l Engineering, and his PhD degree f rom
Canterbury University in New Zealand. Upon completion of his PhD, Dr. Kikkert moved to the United Kingdom to take up a post of Research Fellow at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. In 2008 he received the Karl Emil Hilgard Hydraulic Award from EWRI, a specialty organization within the ASCE. Dr. Kikkert is a citizen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, having also obtained Permanent Residency status in New Zealand.
The research carried out by Dr. Kikkert in the past six years has been in the area of experimental f luid dynamics and has focused on two topics in particular, buoyant jets and waves. Detailed concentration data for buoyant jets moving along two and three-dimensional paths were obtained to confirm the results of current outfal l modelling software, as well as indicate a reas tha t need more soph is t i ca te m o d e l l i n g t e c h n i q u e s . T h e w a v e experiments were designed to isolate the key fundamental processes, effects of roughness, permeability and sediment transport, which affect the hydrodynamics in the swash zone. Detailed velocity and depth measurements of waves in the swash zone were used to evaluate and parameterise the most important stress terms within the momentum equations and to test and develop advanced numerical models for swash on beaches. Additional topics of interests are turbulent
fluid processes and gravity-driven flows. In all cases involvement in experimental work is paramount.
Dr. Jui-Pin Wang Assistant Professor
JP received both his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from the Department o f G e o s c i e n c e s , N a t i o n a l T a i w a n University in 1999 and
2001, respectively. He completed his PhD d e g r e e i n t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f C i v i l Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at Columbia University in 2007. JP was a geotechnical engineer in the U.S. before coming to HKUST. In his two-year career as an engineer, JP accumulated engineering experience in seismic hazard analysis for nuclear power plant sites.
Currently, JP’s research interest focuses on probabi l i ty and r isk analys is in geotechnical engineering and geosciences, as wel l as geotechnical centr i fuge modeling. JP was born in Taipei, Taiwan. He is a baseball player and a die-hard baseball fan. Other than baseball, JP enjoys rock “n” roll and country music. Bon Jovi is one of JP’s favorite bands. In addition, JP is fond of bike riding and driving. Riding a Ducati to tour the world is one of the “Must-do’s” in JP’s life plans.
WORDSfrom the Head
t is my great pleasure to present the f irst issue of our Newsletter to you. It is the result of many months of hard work
from the faculty members involved. We plan to publish a new issue every six months to facilitate communications among the Department, our students and our alumni.
The Department is now close to 20 years old but we are still undergoing continuous development. The change of university programs to 4-years in 2012 offers a great opportunity to re-visit undergraduate education and to develop a better curriculum for the next generation of engineers. Meanwhile, the global awareness of issues related to sustainability, urbanization and the environment, as well as the frequent occurrence of natural hazards (including earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis), have cal led upon civi l and environmental engineers to provide solutions for the improvement of human well-being. As always, our faculty members are working very hard to make the Department a regional and international leader in teaching and research. We will keep everyone posted on our new endeavors and exciting achievements.
Many of our alumni are having outstanding careers. Some have been promoted toposts as directors or senior associates of major companies, while others have become successful university professors, in both Mainland China and overseas. They are involved in exciting and highly visible construction projects, such as the Burj Dubai and the HK-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. Our students have also been doing very wel l , receiv ing awards from professional organizations, winning international competitions, participating in meaningful voluntary work and organizing educational activities for secondary students. I hope our alumni and students will be actively providing us with interesting stories about their work, achievements and activities, which can be shared with others through the Newsletter.
Besides covering educational and professional aspects, the Newsletter will also have a lighter side. We are going to report on social functions organized by our students or alumni, their interesting undertakings (do you know one of our graduate students recently made a trip to Antarctica?) as well as news on marriages and new-born babies. We are all part of the HKUST Civil and Environmental Engineering family and it’s always nice to know how others are doing.
I hope you’ll enjoy reading the newsletter. Your comments and suggestions for improving its content and/or presentation are most welcome.
PTC
-G13
556
Contact UsEmail: [email protected]: (852) 2358-7154Website: http://www.ce.ust.hk/
Editorial BoardProf. CC ChangProf. Jack ChengProf. Thomas HuProf. Chii ShangMs. Emily Ma
Share your joys and happiness with your classmates! Send photos of your wedding or newborns to [email protected]
Secondary Schools Bridge Demonstration Competition 2010
Wu Zhi Qia ( ) built by the HKUST team無止橋
Prof. Gang Wang won 2009-2010 Li Foundation Heritage Prize
Prof. Gang Wang was recently awarded the 2009-2010 Li Foundation Heritage Prize for Excellence in Creativity. The Heritage Prize is the Li Foundation's top award given to Chinese scholars in all areas of science and medicine, as well as the arts and humanitarian fields of study. Prof. Wang is the only recipient of the prize this year, and he was cited for “outstanding and distinguished research contributions in the field of earthquake engineering and geo-hazard mitigation”.
HKIE Geotechnical Division Award - Best Student 2009-2010
Wang Rui, a 2008-09 CIVL graduate, has been awarded the HKIE Geotechnical Division Award - Best Student 2009-2010.
ASCE Best Final Year Project Award 2009
Safra Abdeen, a 2008-09 CIEV graduate, has been awarded the ASCE Best Final Year Project Award for 2009.
CIVL PG Team won the 2nd place in IDEERS 2009
Our PG team comprising Yu Changli (team leader/ MPhil), Jin Qingxu (MPhil), Wang Yiqiang (PhD) and Zhao Zhiyuan (PhD) has won 2nd place in "Introducing and Demonstrating Earthquake Engineering Research in Schools 2009 (IDEERS 2009)" held by the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering in Taipei.
HKUST Wu Zhi Qiao Team 2009
Our UG and PG students formed the HKUST Wu Zhi Qiao (無止橋)
Team and designed a bridge at Maan Village in Liangshan State, Sichuan. The bridge was successfully built by 40 student volunteers in October 2009.
Secondary Schools Bridge Demonstration Competition 2010
The Civil and Environmental Engineering Students’ Society of the HKUST organized a bridge design competition for secondary school students to promote their interest in the design and construction of civil engineering structures. The final round of the Competition was held on 2 February 2010 and Holy Trinity College won the championship.
Practitioner Mentorship Program 2010
The ASCE International Student Group, HKUSTCE will organize the one-year Practitioner Mentorship Program 2010 to provide our UG students with opportunities to meet and build networks with practicing civil engineers from different sectors. The Mentorship Program will start with a Welcome Dinner which will be held on 22 April 2010.
UGSAC2010
To promote interest and to enhance understanding in basic structural concepts, the Department is organizing a student competition: Undergraduate Structural Analysis Competition 2010 (UGSAC2010) on 24 April 2010 (Saturday) at Leung Yat Sing Lecture Theatre. The scope of UGSAC2010 is "Qualitative and quantitative behaviour of s t r u c t u r e s u n d e r s t a t i c l o a d s " . P l e a s e v i s i t http://www.ce.ust.hk/UGSAC2010 for further details and on-line registration.
2010 Civil and Environmental Engineering Department Alumni Homecoming Reunion
The Department is organizing an alumni homecoming reunion on 5 June 2010. This is a great opportunity to meet classmates and make new friends. In addition to the dinner party, sport events and lab/hall tours will be arranged in the afternoon. Please look for details on the department’s website. If you have any comments or suggestions, please send them to [email protected].
08
Prof. Zongjin Li was appointed as the Chief Scientist of a national 973 project
Basic Research on Environmentally Friendly
Contemporary Concrete- A national 973 project led by Prof. Zongjin Li
HKUST provided me with a good learning environment which helped to shape my professional career- Ir Barry Wong (CIVL BSc 95), Associate Director of Scott Wilson Limited
Ir. Barry Wong (CIVL BSc 95)
In early March, some of our alumni were invited to meet at HKUST and provide feedback on the proposed 334 curriculum of the undergraduate programs offered by our Department. Ir. Barry Wong, who was in the first class of students who graduated from our Department, was interviewed after the meeting. He is currently an Associate Director of Scott Wilson Limited.
What was your career path?
I started my career as a Graduate Engineer in Scott Wilson after I graduated from HKUST. I was appointed as a Resident Engineer for Penny’s Bay Reclamation Stage 1 (the area for Disneyland Development) and am now the Project Manager for some projects in Scott Wilson. I have been involved in various projects covering geotechnical engineering, building structures, and maritime engineering. The major ones include Kwai Chung Container Port Terminal 9, Tuen Mun River Trade Terminal, Penny’s Bay Reclamation, Terminals 1, 2 and 5 Upgrading Works and Kai Tak Cruise Terminal Development. I also had an opportunity to participate in civil engineering projects in Indonesia, Thailand, Korea, Australia and Pakistan.
How did your study at HKUST help your
career?
Studying at HKUST definitely helped the development of my career and personality. I am glad that I was in the first class of the Civil and Structural Engineering program. Since I had no senior classmates, I had to be creative and to learn how to do everything on my own. This was really important in the development of my judgment and working style. In addition, the courses offered at HKUST required understanding in the theoretical background and derivation of formulas. HKUST provided me with a good learning environment which helped to shape my professional career.
What is the most important lesson you
learned in industry over these years?
Team work is crucial. In recent years, I have also been aware of our social responsibility, specifically training up the next generation and focusing on public safety. If the first generation transfers 90% of knowledge to the second generation, which in turn transfers 90% of knowledge to the third generation and so on, the fourth generation is likely to obtain only 70% of the knowledge of the first generation. In order to maintain the quality of civi l engineers, I am now serving as a mentor in the Practitioner Mentorship Program organized by the ASCE International Students’ Group, HKUSTCE, which provides a platform for students to obtain a better understanding of civil engineering and our role/responsibility in society.
How do you see the future of the Hong
Kong construction industry?
There will still be a lot of core civil engineering construction projects in Hong Kong in the coming 5 to 10 years. However, Hong Kong has become a developed city. It is expected that the Hong Kong construction industry will have more maintenance and building modification projects (i.e. alterations and additions works), but the number of new construction projects will be reduced. Nevertheless, Hong Kong can be more involved in global construction projects, b e c a u s e H o n g K o n g h a s b e c o m e well-developed in terms of civil engineering knowledge and experience over the past few decades.
Any advice/recommendation to the
current CIVL students?
Firstly, remember that win-win situations among cont rac to rs , c l i en ts , and designers/engineers are possible in practice. Stakeholders do not always
adopt conflicting positions. Secondly, keep in mind the importance of presentation skills. Many students think that being technically strong is enough to succeed. Don’t forget that your ability to present yourself is also crucial. Thirdly, some HKUST students only target on being better than HKU students. Instead, HKUST students should target on being better than the rest of the world. Finally, make use of externa l resources such as practitioners and alumni network.
(Barry’s email: [email protected] )
Dr. Morgan Yang (CIVL PhD 96)Dr. Morgan Yang was the first PhD student from the department, and received his degree i n 1 9 9 6 . H i s dissertation was
“Finite Element Modeling and Aerodynamic Responses of Cable-Supported Bridges” under the supervision of Prof. Paul Chang. His distinguished research focused on the aerodynamic responses of a long span bridge in the time domain under severe wind conditions. The efficient numerical methods he developed have been applied to study the buffeting effects of long span cable supported bridges, including Tsing Ma and Qi Ao Bridges.
Dr Yang joined AECOM (Formerly Maunsell) in Hong Kong as an engineer in 1997 and currently he is a regional director in charge of transportation business in China. Morgan specializes in civil and geotechnical engineering with unique experience in the design of long span bridges, large scale tunnels and metro projects. He has been involving in numerous major transportation infrastructure projects, including the Chongming Tunnel, the largest TBM tunnel in the world, and the Sutong Bridge, the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world.
Morgan has published over 40 technical papers in journals and proceedings. He is an editor of “Tunnel Construction”, a technical journal in China.
(Morgan’s email: [email protected])
Establishment of HKUST CEE PGSA
Professor Christopher Leung,Department Head
973 ProjectNew Faculty Members
DepartmentalUpdate
Alumni Profile
HKUST CEE PGSA
News andUpcoming Events
First board members of HKUST CEE PGSA
Environmentalfriendlyconcrete
Techniquesfor concrete
propertyenhancements
Deteriorationof concrtete
underconplingactions
Microstructuremodeling of
cement paste
Service lifedesign forconcrete
structures
Microstructure-based
constitutiverelations
of concrete
Five tasks of the 973 project
W
A
I
The HKUST CEE PGSA first Board members were elected and are listed below:
PresidentLEUNG Hung Kwong Derrick (MPhil 94)[email protected]
Vice Presidents MING Haiyan (PhD 01)[email protected]
YANG Wenwu Morgan (PhD 96) [email protected]
Committee Members GAO Fuping (Visiting Scholar 00) [email protected]
GE Xuewu Gary (PhD 01) [email protected]
HU Shuang Susan (MSc 08)[email protected]
SIU Wingyee Barbara (PhD 09) [email protected]
SUN Yuenfong Richard (MPhil 99) [email protected]
WANG Yu (MPhil 99) [email protected]
YAN Waiman Ryan (PhD 03) [email protected]
YAO Jun Val (MPhil 00) [email protected]
ZHAN Liangtong Tony (PhD 03)[email protected]
ZHANG Lulu (PhD 05) [email protected]
ZHANG Nianquan Jimmy (PhD 01) [email protected]
AuditorJIN Zengxiang Alan (MPhil 02) [email protected]
hich year did you graduate? If you graduated in the early days, you may not know that the department has gone
through two name changes: from Civil and Structural Engineering to Civil Engineering in 1998 and recently, in 2008, to Civil and Environmental Engineering. You may be puzzled as to why, but our direction and intentions are clear. Certainly our department will surf on the big environment-sustainability-carbon wave which is expected to surge and affect global economic development in the next few decades.
New faculty recruitment is aligned with the transformation of our department. In addition to maintaining our existing strength by recruiting Professors Eric Zhang, Xiangru Zhang, Gang Wang and Jidong Zhao in the last three years, Professor Gustaaf Kikkert in environmental hydraulics and Prof. Jui-Pin Wang in geotechnical engineering are now on board. Some of you probably know Professor Jack Cheng, who was one of our graduates, who now returns to us as a faculty member in construction management. With them, we will better define and will enhance our strengths in:
■ Infrastructure development and planning
■ Green building and sustainable development
■ Intelligent construction materials
■ Environmental and water resources studies
In UG education, currently we have 319 (CIVL), 67 (CIEV), and 18 (Dual Degree) students enrolled in our department. In 2009, 79 (CIVL), 26 (CIEV), and 5 (Dual Degree) students graduated and became our valuable alumni. Eighty-one of them responded to a departmental survey in September 2009 about their job placements. 87% of them are employed and 7% are taking PG studies. Among those who are employed, most are working for consulting firms and
contractors while the rest are associated with government and suppliers/developers. Most of them (76%) received starting salaries between $12,000-16,000.
In the past few years, Mock Construction Training has been gradually replaced by the Summer Internship Scheme which used to be offered only to students with good CGA. With the department’s effort and the strong support from companies and alumni, the number of summer internships offered to our students continues to rise. In 2009, out of 125 students, 116 students have undertaken summer internships. We do need your continuous strong support and hopefully we can completely phase out the Mock Construction Training in the near future.
Preparation for the new 3-3-4 conversion in the university is at full thrust. With the first batch of students arriving in 2012, the university is currently undergoing major expansion and renovation to accommodate the increase of the student population. At the departmental level, curricular changes have also been planned for the four-year programs. After 2012, students will be admitted to schools rather than individual departments. To cope with the diversified background of these students, two major changes will take effect from 2012:
■ There will be common university core courses in Year 1
■ There will be common school pre-major courses in Year 2.
national key project on concrete studies under China’s National Basic Research Program, also known as the 973
project, has commenced on April 18, 2009 at the project’s managing institution, Southeast University in Nanjing, China.
Entitled “Basic Research on Environmentally Friendly Contemporary Concrete”, this project is the first and only 973 project featuring concrete studies. The project is aimed at achieving better understanding of the fundamental hydration mechanism of contemporary concrete, the microstructure formation and its impact on the performance of concrete, as well as the deterioration mechanism of concrete under the combined effects of loading and environmental factors. Such understanding is crucial for effectively using mineral admixtures in contemporary concrete, to develop new concretes with better ductility, and to fulfill the need of service life design, addressing both safety and durability issues. The project is composed of five tasks: microstructure modeling of cement paste; microstructure-based constitutive relations of contemporary concrete; deterioration mechanism of contemporary concrete under the coupling actions of chemical and mechanical loading; service life design theory of concrete structures under complex environments; and key techniques for contemporary concrete property enhancements.
Concrete is the world’s most widely used construction material. In China, the consumption of concrete in 2008 was close to 7 billion tons, accounting for nearly 45% of the global consumption. This project is funded under the realization that China’s infrastructural construction has been developing at a phenomenal speed. It has built half of the world’s new bridges, and in five years’ time, the total highway network in Mainland China will amount to 65,000 kilometers. There is a pressing need for scientists to help prolong the service life of structures and buildings in China. The National Basic Research Project 973 was named after its launch date March 1997. It covers seven research areas, including agriculture, energy, information, resources and the environment, population and health, materials, and synthesis and frontier science.
Prof. Zongjin Li of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has been appointed as the Chief Scientist of the project. He is working closely with a cross-boundary and multi-disciplinary research team comprising 83 scientists from eight institutions in China, including Southeast University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan University of Technology, Zhejiang University, Jiangsu Research Institute of Building Science Co. Ltd, Tongji University, Wuhan University, and Tsinghua University. The 5-year budget for the project is about 30 million RMB. It may be extended after completion of the first phase of research in 2013.
Establishment of HKUST CEE PGSAIn last 24 months, Prof. Paul Chang has initiated discussion among our alumni in Hong Kong, Mainland China and Overseas to establish our alumni association. An organizing committee of our Postgraduates and Scholars Association has been set-up with the support of Derrick Leung, Morgan Yang, Haiyan Ming, Gary Ge, Wang Yu and Jimmy Zhang.
On 14 Mar 2010, we were pleased to announce that our Postgraduates and Scholars Association (HKUST CEE PGSA) was successfully established, witnessed by Prof. Chris Leung (Head of Department), 12 faculty members, honorable guest Prof. Wang Jiayuan (Vice-Dean of the College of Civil Engineering, Shenzhen University), Prof. Paul Chang and over 65 alumni.
Our Association will focus on the following areas: 1. Create an information exchange platform for our alumni; 2. Maintain and expand our alumni network;3. Optimize departmental support to our alumni for their career
development.
If you missed our gathering this time, DON’T WORRY you can send your contact information to us NOW [email protected] or contact a committee member. We will inform you about the details of the next gathering in Hangzhou China (April 2011) in due course. ALL HKUST CEE UGs, PGs, and Scholars and Alumni are welcome.
As a result, the department needs to provide and complete civil engineering training to our students within a two-year time frame. This is in contrast to what people might have expected in converting a three-year program to a four-year one. To overcome this seemingly impossible time constraint, the department has adopted the following philosophy in designing our new curriculum:
■ Equip students with basic transferable skills such as
language, communication, critical thinking, quantitative
reasoning, etc.
■ Train students in engineering fundamentals essential to
both professional engineers and academic researchers.
■ Provide students with sufficient breadth of knowledge
enabling them to function effectively in large civil
engineering projects while maintaining flexibility to pursue
specialization or even a minor degree from other
disciplines.
■ Challenge students with research-type open-ended
problems, stimulate self-learning and improve
problem-solving skills
With these principles in mind, courses for the civil and structural (CIVL) program are grouped into foundation courses, core courses and elective courses. The foundation courses include Introduction to Civil Engineering, Statics and Dynamics, and Strength of Materials. The core courses consist of one main course from each of the six areas: structural, geotechnical, transportation, materials, hydraulics and construction management. Students are required to take all foundation courses and four core courses which should include Structural Analysis and Soil Mechanics. They also need to declare at least one area of specialization and take three elective courses in that area. Of course, the Capstone Design course and the Final Year project remain a required and integrated component in our programs.
Department of
Civil and Environmental EngineeringThe Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
P.1 Words from the Head
P.2 Departmental Update
P.3 New Faculty Members
P.5 973 Project
P.6 Alumni Profile
P.7 HKUST CEE PGSA
P.8 News and Upcoming Events
ISSUE 1 April 2010
Words from the Head
Departmental Update
New Faculty Members
973 Project
01
02
04
05
Alumni Profile
HKUST CEE PGSA
News and Upcoming Events
06
07
08
02 03
04 05
06 07
Consulting firm 65%
Contractor 65%
Supplier/Developer 11%
Goverment 3%
By so doing, the original three-year CIVL program can be packed into two years without sacrificing the depth and breadth of civil engineering training. In addition, the new program will give students more flexibility either to strengthen their professional interests or to explore other minor programs if they wish to. The revision of the civil and environmental program is also based on such philosophy. Details of our new programs will be available on the department’s website as 2012 approaches. If you have any comments or suggestions on our new curriculum, please forward them to the department.
Last but not least, our PG programs continue to grow steadily. Current enrollment includes 24 MPhil and 77 PhD students. In the past year, 12 MPhil and 16 PhD students graduated from our department. About one third of them continued to pursue an academic career in other institutes, working as professors or post-doctoral research fellows, and the remainder chose to practice what they have learned in industry. Our self-financed MSc program in Civil Infrastructural Engineering and Management (CIEM) provides an alternative choice for practicing engineers who wish to acquire advanced and up-to-date knowledge in civil engineering and obtain a post-graduate degree. The program can be completed in either part-time or full-time format and is well received both locally and internationally. Currently, there are 84 students enrolled in this program.
01
Dr. Jack C.P. Cheng Assistant Professor
Jack received both h i s B a c h e l o r a n d MPhil degree from the Department of Civi l Engineering, HKUST in 2004 and 2005, respectively.
He completed his PhD degree in Civi l Engineering at Stanford University in 2009. In 2003, he studied at Columbia University as a visiting student for a year under the Hongkong Bank Foundation Scholarship. He also received the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowship for his PhD study.
Jack’s cur rent research focuses on construction supply chain management, i n f o r m a t i o n a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n technologies in the built environment, and project del ivery and management. In 2008, Jack received the Best Research P a p e r A w a r d a t t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l Conference on Dig i ta l Government Research, and the Student Paper Second Prize at the European Conference on Product and Process Modelling.
Jack was born and grew up in Hong Kong. He l i kes c i ty l i fe , but he a lso en joys outdoor activities especially hiking. Sai Kung is one of his favourite places to hike. When at school, he joined and organized overnight tr ips, with both hik ing and camping, in summer. Squash and bridge are also Jack’s favourites.
Dr. Gustaaf Kikkert Assistant Professor
Dr. Kikkert grew up in The Netherlands and Oman, but obtained his undergraduate d e g r e e , i n C i v i l Engineering, and his PhD degree f rom
Canterbury University in New Zealand. Upon completion of his PhD, Dr. Kikkert moved to the United Kingdom to take up a post of Research Fellow at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. In 2008 he received the Karl Emil Hilgard Hydraulic Award from EWRI, a specialty organization within the ASCE. Dr. Kikkert is a citizen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, having also obtained Permanent Residency status in New Zealand.
The research carried out by Dr. Kikkert in the past six years has been in the area of experimental f luid dynamics and has focused on two topics in particular, buoyant jets and waves. Detailed concentration data for buoyant jets moving along two and three-dimensional paths were obtained to confirm the results of current outfal l modelling software, as well as indicate a reas tha t need more soph is t i ca te m o d e l l i n g t e c h n i q u e s . T h e w a v e experiments were designed to isolate the key fundamental processes, effects of roughness, permeability and sediment transport, which affect the hydrodynamics in the swash zone. Detailed velocity and depth measurements of waves in the swash zone were used to evaluate and parameterise the most important stress terms within the momentum equations and to test and develop advanced numerical models for swash on beaches. Additional topics of interests are turbulent
fluid processes and gravity-driven flows. In all cases involvement in experimental work is paramount.
Dr. Jui-Pin Wang Assistant Professor
JP received both his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from the Department o f G e o s c i e n c e s , N a t i o n a l T a i w a n University in 1999 and
2001, respectively. He completed his PhD d e g r e e i n t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f C i v i l Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at Columbia University in 2007. JP was a geotechnical engineer in the U.S. before coming to HKUST. In his two-year career as an engineer, JP accumulated engineering experience in seismic hazard analysis for nuclear power plant sites.
Currently, JP’s research interest focuses on probabi l i ty and r isk analys is in geotechnical engineering and geosciences, as wel l as geotechnical centr i fuge modeling. JP was born in Taipei, Taiwan. He is a baseball player and a die-hard baseball fan. Other than baseball, JP enjoys rock “n” roll and country music. Bon Jovi is one of JP’s favorite bands. In addition, JP is fond of bike riding and driving. Riding a Ducati to tour the world is one of the “Must-do’s” in JP’s life plans.
WORDSfrom the Head
t is my great pleasure to present the f irst issue of our Newsletter to you. It is the result of many months of hard work
from the faculty members involved. We plan to publish a new issue every six months to facilitate communications among the Department, our students and our alumni.
The Department is now close to 20 years old but we are still undergoing continuous development. The change of university programs to 4-years in 2012 offers a great opportunity to re-visit undergraduate education and to develop a better curriculum for the next generation of engineers. Meanwhile, the global awareness of issues related to sustainability, urbanization and the environment, as well as the frequent occurrence of natural hazards (including earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis), have cal led upon civi l and environmental engineers to provide solutions for the improvement of human well-being. As always, our faculty members are working very hard to make the Department a regional and international leader in teaching and research. We will keep everyone posted on our new endeavors and exciting achievements.
Many of our alumni are having outstanding careers. Some have been promoted toposts as directors or senior associates of major companies, while others have become successful university professors, in both Mainland China and overseas. They are involved in exciting and highly visible construction projects, such as the Burj Dubai and the HK-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. Our students have also been doing very wel l , receiv ing awards from professional organizations, winning international competitions, participating in meaningful voluntary work and organizing educational activities for secondary students. I hope our alumni and students will be actively providing us with interesting stories about their work, achievements and activities, which can be shared with others through the Newsletter.
Besides covering educational and professional aspects, the Newsletter will also have a lighter side. We are going to report on social functions organized by our students or alumni, their interesting undertakings (do you know one of our graduate students recently made a trip to Antarctica?) as well as news on marriages and new-born babies. We are all part of the HKUST Civil and Environmental Engineering family and it’s always nice to know how others are doing.
I hope you’ll enjoy reading the newsletter. Your comments and suggestions for improving its content and/or presentation are most welcome.
PTC
-G13
556
Contact UsEmail: [email protected]: (852) 2358-7154Website: http://www.ce.ust.hk/
Editorial BoardProf. CC ChangProf. Jack ChengProf. Thomas HuProf. Chii ShangMs. Emily Ma
Share your joys and happiness with your classmates! Send photos of your wedding or newborns to [email protected]
Secondary Schools Bridge Demonstration Competition 2010
Wu Zhi Qia ( ) built by the HKUST team無止橋
Prof. Gang Wang won 2009-2010 Li Foundation Heritage Prize
Prof. Gang Wang was recently awarded the 2009-2010 Li Foundation Heritage Prize for Excellence in Creativity. The Heritage Prize is the Li Foundation's top award given to Chinese scholars in all areas of science and medicine, as well as the arts and humanitarian fields of study. Prof. Wang is the only recipient of the prize this year, and he was cited for “outstanding and distinguished research contributions in the field of earthquake engineering and geo-hazard mitigation”.
HKIE Geotechnical Division Award - Best Student 2009-2010
Wang Rui, a 2008-09 CIVL graduate, has been awarded the HKIE Geotechnical Division Award - Best Student 2009-2010.
ASCE Best Final Year Project Award 2009
Safra Abdeen, a 2008-09 CIEV graduate, has been awarded the ASCE Best Final Year Project Award for 2009.
CIVL PG Team won the 2nd place in IDEERS 2009
Our PG team comprising Yu Changli (team leader/ MPhil), Jin Qingxu (MPhil), Wang Yiqiang (PhD) and Zhao Zhiyuan (PhD) has won 2nd place in "Introducing and Demonstrating Earthquake Engineering Research in Schools 2009 (IDEERS 2009)" held by the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering in Taipei.
HKUST Wu Zhi Qiao Team 2009
Our UG and PG students formed the HKUST Wu Zhi Qiao (無止橋)
Team and designed a bridge at Maan Village in Liangshan State, Sichuan. The bridge was successfully built by 40 student volunteers in October 2009.
Secondary Schools Bridge Demonstration Competition 2010
The Civil and Environmental Engineering Students’ Society of the HKUST organized a bridge design competition for secondary school students to promote their interest in the design and construction of civil engineering structures. The final round of the Competition was held on 2 February 2010 and Holy Trinity College won the championship.
Practitioner Mentorship Program 2010
The ASCE International Student Group, HKUSTCE will organize the one-year Practitioner Mentorship Program 2010 to provide our UG students with opportunities to meet and build networks with practicing civil engineers from different sectors. The Mentorship Program will start with a Welcome Dinner which will be held on 22 April 2010.
UGSAC2010
To promote interest and to enhance understanding in basic structural concepts, the Department is organizing a student competition: Undergraduate Structural Analysis Competition 2010 (UGSAC2010) on 24 April 2010 (Saturday) at Leung Yat Sing Lecture Theatre. The scope of UGSAC2010 is "Qualitative and quantitative behaviour of s t r u c t u r e s u n d e r s t a t i c l o a d s " . P l e a s e v i s i t http://www.ce.ust.hk/UGSAC2010 for further details and on-line registration.
2010 Civil and Environmental Engineering Department Alumni Homecoming Reunion
The Department is organizing an alumni homecoming reunion on 5 June 2010. This is a great opportunity to meet classmates and make new friends. In addition to the dinner party, sport events and lab/hall tours will be arranged in the afternoon. Please look for details on the department’s website. If you have any comments or suggestions, please send them to [email protected].
08
Prof. Zongjin Li was appointed as the Chief Scientist of a national 973 project
Basic Research on Environmentally Friendly
Contemporary Concrete- A national 973 project led by Prof. Zongjin Li
HKUST provided me with a good learning environment which helped to shape my professional career- Ir Barry Wong (CIVL BSc 95), Associate Director of Scott Wilson Limited
Ir. Barry Wong (CIVL BSc 95)
In early March, some of our alumni were invited to meet at HKUST and provide feedback on the proposed 334 curriculum of the undergraduate programs offered by our Department. Ir. Barry Wong, who was in the first class of students who graduated from our Department, was interviewed after the meeting. He is currently an Associate Director of Scott Wilson Limited.
What was your career path?
I started my career as a Graduate Engineer in Scott Wilson after I graduated from HKUST. I was appointed as a Resident Engineer for Penny’s Bay Reclamation Stage 1 (the area for Disneyland Development) and am now the Project Manager for some projects in Scott Wilson. I have been involved in various projects covering geotechnical engineering, building structures, and maritime engineering. The major ones include Kwai Chung Container Port Terminal 9, Tuen Mun River Trade Terminal, Penny’s Bay Reclamation, Terminals 1, 2 and 5 Upgrading Works and Kai Tak Cruise Terminal Development. I also had an opportunity to participate in civil engineering projects in Indonesia, Thailand, Korea, Australia and Pakistan.
How did your study at HKUST help your
career?
Studying at HKUST definitely helped the development of my career and personality. I am glad that I was in the first class of the Civil and Structural Engineering program. Since I had no senior classmates, I had to be creative and to learn how to do everything on my own. This was really important in the development of my judgment and working style. In addition, the courses offered at HKUST required understanding in the theoretical background and derivation of formulas. HKUST provided me with a good learning environment which helped to shape my professional career.
What is the most important lesson you
learned in industry over these years?
Team work is crucial. In recent years, I have also been aware of our social responsibility, specifically training up the next generation and focusing on public safety. If the first generation transfers 90% of knowledge to the second generation, which in turn transfers 90% of knowledge to the third generation and so on, the fourth generation is likely to obtain only 70% of the knowledge of the first generation. In order to maintain the quality of civi l engineers, I am now serving as a mentor in the Practitioner Mentorship Program organized by the ASCE International Students’ Group, HKUSTCE, which provides a platform for students to obtain a better understanding of civil engineering and our role/responsibility in society.
How do you see the future of the Hong
Kong construction industry?
There will still be a lot of core civil engineering construction projects in Hong Kong in the coming 5 to 10 years. However, Hong Kong has become a developed city. It is expected that the Hong Kong construction industry will have more maintenance and building modification projects (i.e. alterations and additions works), but the number of new construction projects will be reduced. Nevertheless, Hong Kong can be more involved in global construction projects, b e c a u s e H o n g K o n g h a s b e c o m e well-developed in terms of civil engineering knowledge and experience over the past few decades.
Any advice/recommendation to the
current CIVL students?
Firstly, remember that win-win situations among cont rac to rs , c l i en ts , and designers/engineers are possible in practice. Stakeholders do not always
adopt conflicting positions. Secondly, keep in mind the importance of presentation skills. Many students think that being technically strong is enough to succeed. Don’t forget that your ability to present yourself is also crucial. Thirdly, some HKUST students only target on being better than HKU students. Instead, HKUST students should target on being better than the rest of the world. Finally, make use of externa l resources such as practitioners and alumni network.
(Barry’s email: [email protected] )
Dr. Morgan Yang (CIVL PhD 96)Dr. Morgan Yang was the first PhD student from the department, and received his degree i n 1 9 9 6 . H i s dissertation was
“Finite Element Modeling and Aerodynamic Responses of Cable-Supported Bridges” under the supervision of Prof. Paul Chang. His distinguished research focused on the aerodynamic responses of a long span bridge in the time domain under severe wind conditions. The efficient numerical methods he developed have been applied to study the buffeting effects of long span cable supported bridges, including Tsing Ma and Qi Ao Bridges.
Dr Yang joined AECOM (Formerly Maunsell) in Hong Kong as an engineer in 1997 and currently he is a regional director in charge of transportation business in China. Morgan specializes in civil and geotechnical engineering with unique experience in the design of long span bridges, large scale tunnels and metro projects. He has been involving in numerous major transportation infrastructure projects, including the Chongming Tunnel, the largest TBM tunnel in the world, and the Sutong Bridge, the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world.
Morgan has published over 40 technical papers in journals and proceedings. He is an editor of “Tunnel Construction”, a technical journal in China.
(Morgan’s email: [email protected])
Establishment of HKUST CEE PGSA
Professor Christopher Leung,Department Head
973 ProjectNew Faculty Members
DepartmentalUpdate
Alumni Profile
HKUST CEE PGSA
News andUpcoming Events
First board members of HKUST CEE PGSA
Environmentalfriendlyconcrete
Techniquesfor concrete
propertyenhancements
Deteriorationof concrtete
underconplingactions
Microstructuremodeling of
cement paste
Service lifedesign forconcrete
structures
Microstructure-based
constitutiverelations
of concrete
Five tasks of the 973 project
W
A
I
The HKUST CEE PGSA first Board members were elected and are listed below:
PresidentLEUNG Hung Kwong Derrick (MPhil 94)[email protected]
Vice Presidents MING Haiyan (PhD 01)[email protected]
YANG Wenwu Morgan (PhD 96) [email protected]
Committee Members GAO Fuping (Visiting Scholar 00) [email protected]
GE Xuewu Gary (PhD 01) [email protected]
HU Shuang Susan (MSc 08)[email protected]
SIU Wingyee Barbara (PhD 09) [email protected]
SUN Yuenfong Richard (MPhil 99) [email protected]
WANG Yu (MPhil 99) [email protected]
YAN Waiman Ryan (PhD 03) [email protected]
YAO Jun Val (MPhil 00) [email protected]
ZHAN Liangtong Tony (PhD 03)[email protected]
ZHANG Lulu (PhD 05) [email protected]
ZHANG Nianquan Jimmy (PhD 01) [email protected]
AuditorJIN Zengxiang Alan (MPhil 02) [email protected]
hich year did you graduate? If you graduated in the early days, you may not know that the department has gone
through two name changes: from Civil and Structural Engineering to Civil Engineering in 1998 and recently, in 2008, to Civil and Environmental Engineering. You may be puzzled as to why, but our direction and intentions are clear. Certainly our department will surf on the big environment-sustainability-carbon wave which is expected to surge and affect global economic development in the next few decades.
New faculty recruitment is aligned with the transformation of our department. In addition to maintaining our existing strength by recruiting Professors Eric Zhang, Xiangru Zhang, Gang Wang and Jidong Zhao in the last three years, Professor Gustaaf Kikkert in environmental hydraulics and Prof. Jui-Pin Wang in geotechnical engineering are now on board. Some of you probably know Professor Jack Cheng, who was one of our graduates, who now returns to us as a faculty member in construction management. With them, we will better define and will enhance our strengths in:
■ Infrastructure development and planning
■ Green building and sustainable development
■ Intelligent construction materials
■ Environmental and water resources studies
In UG education, currently we have 319 (CIVL), 67 (CIEV), and 18 (Dual Degree) students enrolled in our department. In 2009, 79 (CIVL), 26 (CIEV), and 5 (Dual Degree) students graduated and became our valuable alumni. Eighty-one of them responded to a departmental survey in September 2009 about their job placements. 87% of them are employed and 7% are taking PG studies. Among those who are employed, most are working for consulting firms and
contractors while the rest are associated with government and suppliers/developers. Most of them (76%) received starting salaries between $12,000-16,000.
In the past few years, Mock Construction Training has been gradually replaced by the Summer Internship Scheme which used to be offered only to students with good CGA. With the department’s effort and the strong support from companies and alumni, the number of summer internships offered to our students continues to rise. In 2009, out of 125 students, 116 students have undertaken summer internships. We do need your continuous strong support and hopefully we can completely phase out the Mock Construction Training in the near future.
Preparation for the new 3-3-4 conversion in the university is at full thrust. With the first batch of students arriving in 2012, the university is currently undergoing major expansion and renovation to accommodate the increase of the student population. At the departmental level, curricular changes have also been planned for the four-year programs. After 2012, students will be admitted to schools rather than individual departments. To cope with the diversified background of these students, two major changes will take effect from 2012:
■ There will be common university core courses in Year 1
■ There will be common school pre-major courses in Year 2.
national key project on concrete studies under China’s National Basic Research Program, also known as the 973
project, has commenced on April 18, 2009 at the project’s managing institution, Southeast University in Nanjing, China.
Entitled “Basic Research on Environmentally Friendly Contemporary Concrete”, this project is the first and only 973 project featuring concrete studies. The project is aimed at achieving better understanding of the fundamental hydration mechanism of contemporary concrete, the microstructure formation and its impact on the performance of concrete, as well as the deterioration mechanism of concrete under the combined effects of loading and environmental factors. Such understanding is crucial for effectively using mineral admixtures in contemporary concrete, to develop new concretes with better ductility, and to fulfill the need of service life design, addressing both safety and durability issues. The project is composed of five tasks: microstructure modeling of cement paste; microstructure-based constitutive relations of contemporary concrete; deterioration mechanism of contemporary concrete under the coupling actions of chemical and mechanical loading; service life design theory of concrete structures under complex environments; and key techniques for contemporary concrete property enhancements.
Concrete is the world’s most widely used construction material. In China, the consumption of concrete in 2008 was close to 7 billion tons, accounting for nearly 45% of the global consumption. This project is funded under the realization that China’s infrastructural construction has been developing at a phenomenal speed. It has built half of the world’s new bridges, and in five years’ time, the total highway network in Mainland China will amount to 65,000 kilometers. There is a pressing need for scientists to help prolong the service life of structures and buildings in China. The National Basic Research Project 973 was named after its launch date March 1997. It covers seven research areas, including agriculture, energy, information, resources and the environment, population and health, materials, and synthesis and frontier science.
Prof. Zongjin Li of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has been appointed as the Chief Scientist of the project. He is working closely with a cross-boundary and multi-disciplinary research team comprising 83 scientists from eight institutions in China, including Southeast University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan University of Technology, Zhejiang University, Jiangsu Research Institute of Building Science Co. Ltd, Tongji University, Wuhan University, and Tsinghua University. The 5-year budget for the project is about 30 million RMB. It may be extended after completion of the first phase of research in 2013.
Establishment of HKUST CEE PGSAIn last 24 months, Prof. Paul Chang has initiated discussion among our alumni in Hong Kong, Mainland China and Overseas to establish our alumni association. An organizing committee of our Postgraduates and Scholars Association has been set-up with the support of Derrick Leung, Morgan Yang, Haiyan Ming, Gary Ge, Wang Yu and Jimmy Zhang.
On 14 Mar 2010, we were pleased to announce that our Postgraduates and Scholars Association (HKUST CEE PGSA) was successfully established, witnessed by Prof. Chris Leung (Head of Department), 12 faculty members, honorable guest Prof. Wang Jiayuan (Vice-Dean of the College of Civil Engineering, Shenzhen University), Prof. Paul Chang and over 65 alumni.
Our Association will focus on the following areas: 1. Create an information exchange platform for our alumni; 2. Maintain and expand our alumni network;3. Optimize departmental support to our alumni for their career
development.
If you missed our gathering this time, DON’T WORRY you can send your contact information to us NOW [email protected] or contact a committee member. We will inform you about the details of the next gathering in Hangzhou China (April 2011) in due course. ALL HKUST CEE UGs, PGs, and Scholars and Alumni are welcome.
As a result, the department needs to provide and complete civil engineering training to our students within a two-year time frame. This is in contrast to what people might have expected in converting a three-year program to a four-year one. To overcome this seemingly impossible time constraint, the department has adopted the following philosophy in designing our new curriculum:
■ Equip students with basic transferable skills such as
language, communication, critical thinking, quantitative
reasoning, etc.
■ Train students in engineering fundamentals essential to
both professional engineers and academic researchers.
■ Provide students with sufficient breadth of knowledge
enabling them to function effectively in large civil
engineering projects while maintaining flexibility to pursue
specialization or even a minor degree from other
disciplines.
■ Challenge students with research-type open-ended
problems, stimulate self-learning and improve
problem-solving skills
With these principles in mind, courses for the civil and structural (CIVL) program are grouped into foundation courses, core courses and elective courses. The foundation courses include Introduction to Civil Engineering, Statics and Dynamics, and Strength of Materials. The core courses consist of one main course from each of the six areas: structural, geotechnical, transportation, materials, hydraulics and construction management. Students are required to take all foundation courses and four core courses which should include Structural Analysis and Soil Mechanics. They also need to declare at least one area of specialization and take three elective courses in that area. Of course, the Capstone Design course and the Final Year project remain a required and integrated component in our programs.
Department of
Civil and Environmental EngineeringThe Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
P.1 Words from the Head
P.2 Departmental Update
P.3 New Faculty Members
P.5 973 Project
P.6 Alumni Profile
P.7 HKUST CEE PGSA
P.8 News and Upcoming Events
ISSUE 1 April 2010
Words from the Head
Departmental Update
New Faculty Members
973 Project
01
02
04
05
Alumni Profile
HKUST CEE PGSA
News and Upcoming Events
06
07
08
02 03
04 05
06 07
Consulting firm 65%
Contractor 65%
Supplier/Developer 11%
Goverment 3%
By so doing, the original three-year CIVL program can be packed into two years without sacrificing the depth and breadth of civil engineering training. In addition, the new program will give students more flexibility either to strengthen their professional interests or to explore other minor programs if they wish to. The revision of the civil and environmental program is also based on such philosophy. Details of our new programs will be available on the department’s website as 2012 approaches. If you have any comments or suggestions on our new curriculum, please forward them to the department.
Last but not least, our PG programs continue to grow steadily. Current enrollment includes 24 MPhil and 77 PhD students. In the past year, 12 MPhil and 16 PhD students graduated from our department. About one third of them continued to pursue an academic career in other institutes, working as professors or post-doctoral research fellows, and the remainder chose to practice what they have learned in industry. Our self-financed MSc program in Civil Infrastructural Engineering and Management (CIEM) provides an alternative choice for practicing engineers who wish to acquire advanced and up-to-date knowledge in civil engineering and obtain a post-graduate degree. The program can be completed in either part-time or full-time format and is well received both locally and internationally. Currently, there are 84 students enrolled in this program.
01
Dr. Jack C.P. Cheng Assistant Professor
Jack received both h i s B a c h e l o r a n d MPhil degree from the Department of Civi l Engineering, HKUST in 2004 and 2005, respectively.
He completed his PhD degree in Civi l Engineering at Stanford University in 2009. In 2003, he studied at Columbia University as a visiting student for a year under the Hongkong Bank Foundation Scholarship. He also received the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowship for his PhD study.
Jack’s cur rent research focuses on construction supply chain management, i n f o r m a t i o n a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n technologies in the built environment, and project del ivery and management. In 2008, Jack received the Best Research P a p e r A w a r d a t t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l Conference on Dig i ta l Government Research, and the Student Paper Second Prize at the European Conference on Product and Process Modelling.
Jack was born and grew up in Hong Kong. He l i kes c i ty l i fe , but he a lso en joys outdoor activities especially hiking. Sai Kung is one of his favourite places to hike. When at school, he joined and organized overnight tr ips, with both hik ing and camping, in summer. Squash and bridge are also Jack’s favourites.
Dr. Gustaaf Kikkert Assistant Professor
Dr. Kikkert grew up in The Netherlands and Oman, but obtained his undergraduate d e g r e e , i n C i v i l Engineering, and his PhD degree f rom
Canterbury University in New Zealand. Upon completion of his PhD, Dr. Kikkert moved to the United Kingdom to take up a post of Research Fellow at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. In 2008 he received the Karl Emil Hilgard Hydraulic Award from EWRI, a specialty organization within the ASCE. Dr. Kikkert is a citizen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, having also obtained Permanent Residency status in New Zealand.
The research carried out by Dr. Kikkert in the past six years has been in the area of experimental f luid dynamics and has focused on two topics in particular, buoyant jets and waves. Detailed concentration data for buoyant jets moving along two and three-dimensional paths were obtained to confirm the results of current outfal l modelling software, as well as indicate a reas tha t need more soph is t i ca te m o d e l l i n g t e c h n i q u e s . T h e w a v e experiments were designed to isolate the key fundamental processes, effects of roughness, permeability and sediment transport, which affect the hydrodynamics in the swash zone. Detailed velocity and depth measurements of waves in the swash zone were used to evaluate and parameterise the most important stress terms within the momentum equations and to test and develop advanced numerical models for swash on beaches. Additional topics of interests are turbulent
fluid processes and gravity-driven flows. In all cases involvement in experimental work is paramount.
Dr. Jui-Pin Wang Assistant Professor
JP received both his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from the Department o f G e o s c i e n c e s , N a t i o n a l T a i w a n University in 1999 and
2001, respectively. He completed his PhD d e g r e e i n t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f C i v i l Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at Columbia University in 2007. JP was a geotechnical engineer in the U.S. before coming to HKUST. In his two-year career as an engineer, JP accumulated engineering experience in seismic hazard analysis for nuclear power plant sites.
Currently, JP’s research interest focuses on probabi l i ty and r isk analys is in geotechnical engineering and geosciences, as wel l as geotechnical centr i fuge modeling. JP was born in Taipei, Taiwan. He is a baseball player and a die-hard baseball fan. Other than baseball, JP enjoys rock “n” roll and country music. Bon Jovi is one of JP’s favorite bands. In addition, JP is fond of bike riding and driving. Riding a Ducati to tour the world is one of the “Must-do’s” in JP’s life plans.
WORDSfrom the Head
t is my great pleasure to present the f irst issue of our Newsletter to you. It is the result of many months of hard work
from the faculty members involved. We plan to publish a new issue every six months to facilitate communications among the Department, our students and our alumni.
The Department is now close to 20 years old but we are still undergoing continuous development. The change of university programs to 4-years in 2012 offers a great opportunity to re-visit undergraduate education and to develop a better curriculum for the next generation of engineers. Meanwhile, the global awareness of issues related to sustainability, urbanization and the environment, as well as the frequent occurrence of natural hazards (including earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis), have cal led upon civi l and environmental engineers to provide solutions for the improvement of human well-being. As always, our faculty members are working very hard to make the Department a regional and international leader in teaching and research. We will keep everyone posted on our new endeavors and exciting achievements.
Many of our alumni are having outstanding careers. Some have been promoted toposts as directors or senior associates of major companies, while others have become successful university professors, in both Mainland China and overseas. They are involved in exciting and highly visible construction projects, such as the Burj Dubai and the HK-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. Our students have also been doing very wel l , receiv ing awards from professional organizations, winning international competitions, participating in meaningful voluntary work and organizing educational activities for secondary students. I hope our alumni and students will be actively providing us with interesting stories about their work, achievements and activities, which can be shared with others through the Newsletter.
Besides covering educational and professional aspects, the Newsletter will also have a lighter side. We are going to report on social functions organized by our students or alumni, their interesting undertakings (do you know one of our graduate students recently made a trip to Antarctica?) as well as news on marriages and new-born babies. We are all part of the HKUST Civil and Environmental Engineering family and it’s always nice to know how others are doing.
I hope you’ll enjoy reading the newsletter. Your comments and suggestions for improving its content and/or presentation are most welcome.
PTC
-G13
556
Contact UsEmail: [email protected]: (852) 2358-7154Website: http://www.ce.ust.hk/
Editorial BoardProf. CC ChangProf. Jack ChengProf. Thomas HuProf. Chii ShangMs. Emily Ma
Share your joys and happiness with your classmates! Send photos of your wedding or newborns to [email protected]
Secondary Schools Bridge Demonstration Competition 2010
Wu Zhi Qia ( ) built by the HKUST team無止橋
Prof. Gang Wang won 2009-2010 Li Foundation Heritage Prize
Prof. Gang Wang was recently awarded the 2009-2010 Li Foundation Heritage Prize for Excellence in Creativity. The Heritage Prize is the Li Foundation's top award given to Chinese scholars in all areas of science and medicine, as well as the arts and humanitarian fields of study. Prof. Wang is the only recipient of the prize this year, and he was cited for “outstanding and distinguished research contributions in the field of earthquake engineering and geo-hazard mitigation”.
HKIE Geotechnical Division Award - Best Student 2009-2010
Wang Rui, a 2008-09 CIVL graduate, has been awarded the HKIE Geotechnical Division Award - Best Student 2009-2010.
ASCE Best Final Year Project Award 2009
Safra Abdeen, a 2008-09 CIEV graduate, has been awarded the ASCE Best Final Year Project Award for 2009.
CIVL PG Team won the 2nd place in IDEERS 2009
Our PG team comprising Yu Changli (team leader/ MPhil), Jin Qingxu (MPhil), Wang Yiqiang (PhD) and Zhao Zhiyuan (PhD) has won 2nd place in "Introducing and Demonstrating Earthquake Engineering Research in Schools 2009 (IDEERS 2009)" held by the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering in Taipei.
HKUST Wu Zhi Qiao Team 2009
Our UG and PG students formed the HKUST Wu Zhi Qiao (無止橋)
Team and designed a bridge at Maan Village in Liangshan State, Sichuan. The bridge was successfully built by 40 student volunteers in October 2009.
Secondary Schools Bridge Demonstration Competition 2010
The Civil and Environmental Engineering Students’ Society of the HKUST organized a bridge design competition for secondary school students to promote their interest in the design and construction of civil engineering structures. The final round of the Competition was held on 2 February 2010 and Holy Trinity College won the championship.
Practitioner Mentorship Program 2010
The ASCE International Student Group, HKUSTCE will organize the one-year Practitioner Mentorship Program 2010 to provide our UG students with opportunities to meet and build networks with practicing civil engineers from different sectors. The Mentorship Program will start with a Welcome Dinner which will be held on 22 April 2010.
UGSAC2010
To promote interest and to enhance understanding in basic structural concepts, the Department is organizing a student competition: Undergraduate Structural Analysis Competition 2010 (UGSAC2010) on 24 April 2010 (Saturday) at Leung Yat Sing Lecture Theatre. The scope of UGSAC2010 is "Qualitative and quantitative behaviour of s t r u c t u r e s u n d e r s t a t i c l o a d s " . P l e a s e v i s i t http://www.ce.ust.hk/UGSAC2010 for further details and on-line registration.
2010 Civil and Environmental Engineering Department Alumni Homecoming Reunion
The Department is organizing an alumni homecoming reunion on 5 June 2010. This is a great opportunity to meet classmates and make new friends. In addition to the dinner party, sport events and lab/hall tours will be arranged in the afternoon. Please look for details on the department’s website. If you have any comments or suggestions, please send them to [email protected].
08
Prof. Zongjin Li was appointed as the Chief Scientist of a national 973 project
Basic Research on Environmentally Friendly
Contemporary Concrete- A national 973 project led by Prof. Zongjin Li
HKUST provided me with a good learning environment which helped to shape my professional career- Ir Barry Wong (CIVL BSc 95), Associate Director of Scott Wilson Limited
Ir. Barry Wong (CIVL BSc 95)
In early March, some of our alumni were invited to meet at HKUST and provide feedback on the proposed 334 curriculum of the undergraduate programs offered by our Department. Ir. Barry Wong, who was in the first class of students who graduated from our Department, was interviewed after the meeting. He is currently an Associate Director of Scott Wilson Limited.
What was your career path?
I started my career as a Graduate Engineer in Scott Wilson after I graduated from HKUST. I was appointed as a Resident Engineer for Penny’s Bay Reclamation Stage 1 (the area for Disneyland Development) and am now the Project Manager for some projects in Scott Wilson. I have been involved in various projects covering geotechnical engineering, building structures, and maritime engineering. The major ones include Kwai Chung Container Port Terminal 9, Tuen Mun River Trade Terminal, Penny’s Bay Reclamation, Terminals 1, 2 and 5 Upgrading Works and Kai Tak Cruise Terminal Development. I also had an opportunity to participate in civil engineering projects in Indonesia, Thailand, Korea, Australia and Pakistan.
How did your study at HKUST help your
career?
Studying at HKUST definitely helped the development of my career and personality. I am glad that I was in the first class of the Civil and Structural Engineering program. Since I had no senior classmates, I had to be creative and to learn how to do everything on my own. This was really important in the development of my judgment and working style. In addition, the courses offered at HKUST required understanding in the theoretical background and derivation of formulas. HKUST provided me with a good learning environment which helped to shape my professional career.
What is the most important lesson you
learned in industry over these years?
Team work is crucial. In recent years, I have also been aware of our social responsibility, specifically training up the next generation and focusing on public safety. If the first generation transfers 90% of knowledge to the second generation, which in turn transfers 90% of knowledge to the third generation and so on, the fourth generation is likely to obtain only 70% of the knowledge of the first generation. In order to maintain the quality of civi l engineers, I am now serving as a mentor in the Practitioner Mentorship Program organized by the ASCE International Students’ Group, HKUSTCE, which provides a platform for students to obtain a better understanding of civil engineering and our role/responsibility in society.
How do you see the future of the Hong
Kong construction industry?
There will still be a lot of core civil engineering construction projects in Hong Kong in the coming 5 to 10 years. However, Hong Kong has become a developed city. It is expected that the Hong Kong construction industry will have more maintenance and building modification projects (i.e. alterations and additions works), but the number of new construction projects will be reduced. Nevertheless, Hong Kong can be more involved in global construction projects, b e c a u s e H o n g K o n g h a s b e c o m e well-developed in terms of civil engineering knowledge and experience over the past few decades.
Any advice/recommendation to the
current CIVL students?
Firstly, remember that win-win situations among cont rac to rs , c l i en ts , and designers/engineers are possible in practice. Stakeholders do not always
adopt conflicting positions. Secondly, keep in mind the importance of presentation skills. Many students think that being technically strong is enough to succeed. Don’t forget that your ability to present yourself is also crucial. Thirdly, some HKUST students only target on being better than HKU students. Instead, HKUST students should target on being better than the rest of the world. Finally, make use of externa l resources such as practitioners and alumni network.
(Barry’s email: [email protected] )
Dr. Morgan Yang (CIVL PhD 96)Dr. Morgan Yang was the first PhD student from the department, and received his degree i n 1 9 9 6 . H i s dissertation was
“Finite Element Modeling and Aerodynamic Responses of Cable-Supported Bridges” under the supervision of Prof. Paul Chang. His distinguished research focused on the aerodynamic responses of a long span bridge in the time domain under severe wind conditions. The efficient numerical methods he developed have been applied to study the buffeting effects of long span cable supported bridges, including Tsing Ma and Qi Ao Bridges.
Dr Yang joined AECOM (Formerly Maunsell) in Hong Kong as an engineer in 1997 and currently he is a regional director in charge of transportation business in China. Morgan specializes in civil and geotechnical engineering with unique experience in the design of long span bridges, large scale tunnels and metro projects. He has been involving in numerous major transportation infrastructure projects, including the Chongming Tunnel, the largest TBM tunnel in the world, and the Sutong Bridge, the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world.
Morgan has published over 40 technical papers in journals and proceedings. He is an editor of “Tunnel Construction”, a technical journal in China.
(Morgan’s email: [email protected])
Establishment of HKUST CEE PGSA
Professor Christopher Leung,Department Head
973 ProjectNew Faculty Members
DepartmentalUpdate
Alumni Profile
HKUST CEE PGSA
News andUpcoming Events
First board members of HKUST CEE PGSA
Environmentalfriendlyconcrete
Techniquesfor concrete
propertyenhancements
Deteriorationof concrtete
underconplingactions
Microstructuremodeling of
cement paste
Service lifedesign forconcrete
structures
Microstructure-based
constitutiverelations
of concrete
Five tasks of the 973 project
W
A
I
The HKUST CEE PGSA first Board members were elected and are listed below:
PresidentLEUNG Hung Kwong Derrick (MPhil 94)[email protected]
Vice Presidents MING Haiyan (PhD 01)[email protected]
YANG Wenwu Morgan (PhD 96) [email protected]
Committee Members GAO Fuping (Visiting Scholar 00) [email protected]
GE Xuewu Gary (PhD 01) [email protected]
HU Shuang Susan (MSc 08)[email protected]
SIU Wingyee Barbara (PhD 09) [email protected]
SUN Yuenfong Richard (MPhil 99) [email protected]
WANG Yu (MPhil 99) [email protected]
YAN Waiman Ryan (PhD 03) [email protected]
YAO Jun Val (MPhil 00) [email protected]
ZHAN Liangtong Tony (PhD 03)[email protected]
ZHANG Lulu (PhD 05) [email protected]
ZHANG Nianquan Jimmy (PhD 01) [email protected]
AuditorJIN Zengxiang Alan (MPhil 02) [email protected]
hich year did you graduate? If you graduated in the early days, you may not know that the department has gone
through two name changes: from Civil and Structural Engineering to Civil Engineering in 1998 and recently, in 2008, to Civil and Environmental Engineering. You may be puzzled as to why, but our direction and intentions are clear. Certainly our department will surf on the big environment-sustainability-carbon wave which is expected to surge and affect global economic development in the next few decades.
New faculty recruitment is aligned with the transformation of our department. In addition to maintaining our existing strength by recruiting Professors Eric Zhang, Xiangru Zhang, Gang Wang and Jidong Zhao in the last three years, Professor Gustaaf Kikkert in environmental hydraulics and Prof. Jui-Pin Wang in geotechnical engineering are now on board. Some of you probably know Professor Jack Cheng, who was one of our graduates, who now returns to us as a faculty member in construction management. With them, we will better define and will enhance our strengths in:
■ Infrastructure development and planning
■ Green building and sustainable development
■ Intelligent construction materials
■ Environmental and water resources studies
In UG education, currently we have 319 (CIVL), 67 (CIEV), and 18 (Dual Degree) students enrolled in our department. In 2009, 79 (CIVL), 26 (CIEV), and 5 (Dual Degree) students graduated and became our valuable alumni. Eighty-one of them responded to a departmental survey in September 2009 about their job placements. 87% of them are employed and 7% are taking PG studies. Among those who are employed, most are working for consulting firms and
contractors while the rest are associated with government and suppliers/developers. Most of them (76%) received starting salaries between $12,000-16,000.
In the past few years, Mock Construction Training has been gradually replaced by the Summer Internship Scheme which used to be offered only to students with good CGA. With the department’s effort and the strong support from companies and alumni, the number of summer internships offered to our students continues to rise. In 2009, out of 125 students, 116 students have undertaken summer internships. We do need your continuous strong support and hopefully we can completely phase out the Mock Construction Training in the near future.
Preparation for the new 3-3-4 conversion in the university is at full thrust. With the first batch of students arriving in 2012, the university is currently undergoing major expansion and renovation to accommodate the increase of the student population. At the departmental level, curricular changes have also been planned for the four-year programs. After 2012, students will be admitted to schools rather than individual departments. To cope with the diversified background of these students, two major changes will take effect from 2012:
■ There will be common university core courses in Year 1
■ There will be common school pre-major courses in Year 2.
national key project on concrete studies under China’s National Basic Research Program, also known as the 973
project, has commenced on April 18, 2009 at the project’s managing institution, Southeast University in Nanjing, China.
Entitled “Basic Research on Environmentally Friendly Contemporary Concrete”, this project is the first and only 973 project featuring concrete studies. The project is aimed at achieving better understanding of the fundamental hydration mechanism of contemporary concrete, the microstructure formation and its impact on the performance of concrete, as well as the deterioration mechanism of concrete under the combined effects of loading and environmental factors. Such understanding is crucial for effectively using mineral admixtures in contemporary concrete, to develop new concretes with better ductility, and to fulfill the need of service life design, addressing both safety and durability issues. The project is composed of five tasks: microstructure modeling of cement paste; microstructure-based constitutive relations of contemporary concrete; deterioration mechanism of contemporary concrete under the coupling actions of chemical and mechanical loading; service life design theory of concrete structures under complex environments; and key techniques for contemporary concrete property enhancements.
Concrete is the world’s most widely used construction material. In China, the consumption of concrete in 2008 was close to 7 billion tons, accounting for nearly 45% of the global consumption. This project is funded under the realization that China’s infrastructural construction has been developing at a phenomenal speed. It has built half of the world’s new bridges, and in five years’ time, the total highway network in Mainland China will amount to 65,000 kilometers. There is a pressing need for scientists to help prolong the service life of structures and buildings in China. The National Basic Research Project 973 was named after its launch date March 1997. It covers seven research areas, including agriculture, energy, information, resources and the environment, population and health, materials, and synthesis and frontier science.
Prof. Zongjin Li of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has been appointed as the Chief Scientist of the project. He is working closely with a cross-boundary and multi-disciplinary research team comprising 83 scientists from eight institutions in China, including Southeast University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan University of Technology, Zhejiang University, Jiangsu Research Institute of Building Science Co. Ltd, Tongji University, Wuhan University, and Tsinghua University. The 5-year budget for the project is about 30 million RMB. It may be extended after completion of the first phase of research in 2013.
Establishment of HKUST CEE PGSAIn last 24 months, Prof. Paul Chang has initiated discussion among our alumni in Hong Kong, Mainland China and Overseas to establish our alumni association. An organizing committee of our Postgraduates and Scholars Association has been set-up with the support of Derrick Leung, Morgan Yang, Haiyan Ming, Gary Ge, Wang Yu and Jimmy Zhang.
On 14 Mar 2010, we were pleased to announce that our Postgraduates and Scholars Association (HKUST CEE PGSA) was successfully established, witnessed by Prof. Chris Leung (Head of Department), 12 faculty members, honorable guest Prof. Wang Jiayuan (Vice-Dean of the College of Civil Engineering, Shenzhen University), Prof. Paul Chang and over 65 alumni.
Our Association will focus on the following areas: 1. Create an information exchange platform for our alumni; 2. Maintain and expand our alumni network;3. Optimize departmental support to our alumni for their career
development.
If you missed our gathering this time, DON’T WORRY you can send your contact information to us NOW [email protected] or contact a committee member. We will inform you about the details of the next gathering in Hangzhou China (April 2011) in due course. ALL HKUST CEE UGs, PGs, and Scholars and Alumni are welcome.
As a result, the department needs to provide and complete civil engineering training to our students within a two-year time frame. This is in contrast to what people might have expected in converting a three-year program to a four-year one. To overcome this seemingly impossible time constraint, the department has adopted the following philosophy in designing our new curriculum:
■ Equip students with basic transferable skills such as
language, communication, critical thinking, quantitative
reasoning, etc.
■ Train students in engineering fundamentals essential to
both professional engineers and academic researchers.
■ Provide students with sufficient breadth of knowledge
enabling them to function effectively in large civil
engineering projects while maintaining flexibility to pursue
specialization or even a minor degree from other
disciplines.
■ Challenge students with research-type open-ended
problems, stimulate self-learning and improve
problem-solving skills
With these principles in mind, courses for the civil and structural (CIVL) program are grouped into foundation courses, core courses and elective courses. The foundation courses include Introduction to Civil Engineering, Statics and Dynamics, and Strength of Materials. The core courses consist of one main course from each of the six areas: structural, geotechnical, transportation, materials, hydraulics and construction management. Students are required to take all foundation courses and four core courses which should include Structural Analysis and Soil Mechanics. They also need to declare at least one area of specialization and take three elective courses in that area. Of course, the Capstone Design course and the Final Year project remain a required and integrated component in our programs.
Department of
Civil and Environmental EngineeringThe Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
P.1 Words from the Head
P.2 Departmental Update
P.3 New Faculty Members
P.5 973 Project
P.6 Alumni Profile
P.7 HKUST CEE PGSA
P.8 News and Upcoming Events
ISSUE 1 April 2010
Words from the Head
Departmental Update
New Faculty Members
973 Project
01
02
04
05
Alumni Profile
HKUST CEE PGSA
News and Upcoming Events
06
07
08
02 03
04 05
06 07
Consulting firm 65%
Contractor 65%
Supplier/Developer 11%
Goverment 3%
By so doing, the original three-year CIVL program can be packed into two years without sacrificing the depth and breadth of civil engineering training. In addition, the new program will give students more flexibility either to strengthen their professional interests or to explore other minor programs if they wish to. The revision of the civil and environmental program is also based on such philosophy. Details of our new programs will be available on the department’s website as 2012 approaches. If you have any comments or suggestions on our new curriculum, please forward them to the department.
Last but not least, our PG programs continue to grow steadily. Current enrollment includes 24 MPhil and 77 PhD students. In the past year, 12 MPhil and 16 PhD students graduated from our department. About one third of them continued to pursue an academic career in other institutes, working as professors or post-doctoral research fellows, and the remainder chose to practice what they have learned in industry. Our self-financed MSc program in Civil Infrastructural Engineering and Management (CIEM) provides an alternative choice for practicing engineers who wish to acquire advanced and up-to-date knowledge in civil engineering and obtain a post-graduate degree. The program can be completed in either part-time or full-time format and is well received both locally and internationally. Currently, there are 84 students enrolled in this program.
01
Dr. Jack C.P. Cheng Assistant Professor
Jack received both h i s B a c h e l o r a n d MPhil degree from the Department of Civi l Engineering, HKUST in 2004 and 2005, respectively.
He completed his PhD degree in Civi l Engineering at Stanford University in 2009. In 2003, he studied at Columbia University as a visiting student for a year under the Hongkong Bank Foundation Scholarship. He also received the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowship for his PhD study.
Jack’s cur rent research focuses on construction supply chain management, i n f o r m a t i o n a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n technologies in the built environment, and project del ivery and management. In 2008, Jack received the Best Research P a p e r A w a r d a t t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l Conference on Dig i ta l Government Research, and the Student Paper Second Prize at the European Conference on Product and Process Modelling.
Jack was born and grew up in Hong Kong. He l i kes c i ty l i fe , but he a lso en joys outdoor activities especially hiking. Sai Kung is one of his favourite places to hike. When at school, he joined and organized overnight tr ips, with both hik ing and camping, in summer. Squash and bridge are also Jack’s favourites.
Dr. Gustaaf Kikkert Assistant Professor
Dr. Kikkert grew up in The Netherlands and Oman, but obtained his undergraduate d e g r e e , i n C i v i l Engineering, and his PhD degree f rom
Canterbury University in New Zealand. Upon completion of his PhD, Dr. Kikkert moved to the United Kingdom to take up a post of Research Fellow at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. In 2008 he received the Karl Emil Hilgard Hydraulic Award from EWRI, a specialty organization within the ASCE. Dr. Kikkert is a citizen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, having also obtained Permanent Residency status in New Zealand.
The research carried out by Dr. Kikkert in the past six years has been in the area of experimental f luid dynamics and has focused on two topics in particular, buoyant jets and waves. Detailed concentration data for buoyant jets moving along two and three-dimensional paths were obtained to confirm the results of current outfal l modelling software, as well as indicate a reas tha t need more soph is t i ca te m o d e l l i n g t e c h n i q u e s . T h e w a v e experiments were designed to isolate the key fundamental processes, effects of roughness, permeability and sediment transport, which affect the hydrodynamics in the swash zone. Detailed velocity and depth measurements of waves in the swash zone were used to evaluate and parameterise the most important stress terms within the momentum equations and to test and develop advanced numerical models for swash on beaches. Additional topics of interests are turbulent
fluid processes and gravity-driven flows. In all cases involvement in experimental work is paramount.
Dr. Jui-Pin Wang Assistant Professor
JP received both his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from the Department o f G e o s c i e n c e s , N a t i o n a l T a i w a n University in 1999 and
2001, respectively. He completed his PhD d e g r e e i n t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f C i v i l Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at Columbia University in 2007. JP was a geotechnical engineer in the U.S. before coming to HKUST. In his two-year career as an engineer, JP accumulated engineering experience in seismic hazard analysis for nuclear power plant sites.
Currently, JP’s research interest focuses on probabi l i ty and r isk analys is in geotechnical engineering and geosciences, as wel l as geotechnical centr i fuge modeling. JP was born in Taipei, Taiwan. He is a baseball player and a die-hard baseball fan. Other than baseball, JP enjoys rock “n” roll and country music. Bon Jovi is one of JP’s favorite bands. In addition, JP is fond of bike riding and driving. Riding a Ducati to tour the world is one of the “Must-do’s” in JP’s life plans.
WORDSfrom the Head
t is my great pleasure to present the f irst issue of our Newsletter to you. It is the result of many months of hard work
from the faculty members involved. We plan to publish a new issue every six months to facilitate communications among the Department, our students and our alumni.
The Department is now close to 20 years old but we are still undergoing continuous development. The change of university programs to 4-years in 2012 offers a great opportunity to re-visit undergraduate education and to develop a better curriculum for the next generation of engineers. Meanwhile, the global awareness of issues related to sustainability, urbanization and the environment, as well as the frequent occurrence of natural hazards (including earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis), have cal led upon civi l and environmental engineers to provide solutions for the improvement of human well-being. As always, our faculty members are working very hard to make the Department a regional and international leader in teaching and research. We will keep everyone posted on our new endeavors and exciting achievements.
Many of our alumni are having outstanding careers. Some have been promoted toposts as directors or senior associates of major companies, while others have become successful university professors, in both Mainland China and overseas. They are involved in exciting and highly visible construction projects, such as the Burj Dubai and the HK-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. Our students have also been doing very wel l , receiv ing awards from professional organizations, winning international competitions, participating in meaningful voluntary work and organizing educational activities for secondary students. I hope our alumni and students will be actively providing us with interesting stories about their work, achievements and activities, which can be shared with others through the Newsletter.
Besides covering educational and professional aspects, the Newsletter will also have a lighter side. We are going to report on social functions organized by our students or alumni, their interesting undertakings (do you know one of our graduate students recently made a trip to Antarctica?) as well as news on marriages and new-born babies. We are all part of the HKUST Civil and Environmental Engineering family and it’s always nice to know how others are doing.
I hope you’ll enjoy reading the newsletter. Your comments and suggestions for improving its content and/or presentation are most welcome.
PTC
-G13
556
Contact UsEmail: [email protected]: (852) 2358-7154Website: http://www.ce.ust.hk/
Editorial BoardProf. CC ChangProf. Jack ChengProf. Thomas HuProf. Chii ShangMs. Emily Ma
Share your joys and happiness with your classmates! Send photos of your wedding or newborns to [email protected]
Secondary Schools Bridge Demonstration Competition 2010
Wu Zhi Qia ( ) built by the HKUST team無止橋
Prof. Gang Wang won 2009-2010 Li Foundation Heritage Prize
Prof. Gang Wang was recently awarded the 2009-2010 Li Foundation Heritage Prize for Excellence in Creativity. The Heritage Prize is the Li Foundation's top award given to Chinese scholars in all areas of science and medicine, as well as the arts and humanitarian fields of study. Prof. Wang is the only recipient of the prize this year, and he was cited for “outstanding and distinguished research contributions in the field of earthquake engineering and geo-hazard mitigation”.
HKIE Geotechnical Division Award - Best Student 2009-2010
Wang Rui, a 2008-09 CIVL graduate, has been awarded the HKIE Geotechnical Division Award - Best Student 2009-2010.
ASCE Best Final Year Project Award 2009
Safra Abdeen, a 2008-09 CIEV graduate, has been awarded the ASCE Best Final Year Project Award for 2009.
CIVL PG Team won the 2nd place in IDEERS 2009
Our PG team comprising Yu Changli (team leader/ MPhil), Jin Qingxu (MPhil), Wang Yiqiang (PhD) and Zhao Zhiyuan (PhD) has won 2nd place in "Introducing and Demonstrating Earthquake Engineering Research in Schools 2009 (IDEERS 2009)" held by the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering in Taipei.
HKUST Wu Zhi Qiao Team 2009
Our UG and PG students formed the HKUST Wu Zhi Qiao (無止橋)
Team and designed a bridge at Maan Village in Liangshan State, Sichuan. The bridge was successfully built by 40 student volunteers in October 2009.
Secondary Schools Bridge Demonstration Competition 2010
The Civil and Environmental Engineering Students’ Society of the HKUST organized a bridge design competition for secondary school students to promote their interest in the design and construction of civil engineering structures. The final round of the Competition was held on 2 February 2010 and Holy Trinity College won the championship.
Practitioner Mentorship Program 2010
The ASCE International Student Group, HKUSTCE will organize the one-year Practitioner Mentorship Program 2010 to provide our UG students with opportunities to meet and build networks with practicing civil engineers from different sectors. The Mentorship Program will start with a Welcome Dinner which will be held on 22 April 2010.
UGSAC2010
To promote interest and to enhance understanding in basic structural concepts, the Department is organizing a student competition: Undergraduate Structural Analysis Competition 2010 (UGSAC2010) on 24 April 2010 (Saturday) at Leung Yat Sing Lecture Theatre. The scope of UGSAC2010 is "Qualitative and quantitative behaviour of s t r u c t u r e s u n d e r s t a t i c l o a d s " . P l e a s e v i s i t http://www.ce.ust.hk/UGSAC2010 for further details and on-line registration.
2010 Civil and Environmental Engineering Department Alumni Homecoming Reunion
The Department is organizing an alumni homecoming reunion on 5 June 2010. This is a great opportunity to meet classmates and make new friends. In addition to the dinner party, sport events and lab/hall tours will be arranged in the afternoon. Please look for details on the department’s website. If you have any comments or suggestions, please send them to [email protected].
08
Prof. Zongjin Li was appointed as the Chief Scientist of a national 973 project
Basic Research on Environmentally Friendly
Contemporary Concrete- A national 973 project led by Prof. Zongjin Li
HKUST provided me with a good learning environment which helped to shape my professional career- Ir Barry Wong (CIVL BSc 95), Associate Director of Scott Wilson Limited
Ir. Barry Wong (CIVL BSc 95)
In early March, some of our alumni were invited to meet at HKUST and provide feedback on the proposed 334 curriculum of the undergraduate programs offered by our Department. Ir. Barry Wong, who was in the first class of students who graduated from our Department, was interviewed after the meeting. He is currently an Associate Director of Scott Wilson Limited.
What was your career path?
I started my career as a Graduate Engineer in Scott Wilson after I graduated from HKUST. I was appointed as a Resident Engineer for Penny’s Bay Reclamation Stage 1 (the area for Disneyland Development) and am now the Project Manager for some projects in Scott Wilson. I have been involved in various projects covering geotechnical engineering, building structures, and maritime engineering. The major ones include Kwai Chung Container Port Terminal 9, Tuen Mun River Trade Terminal, Penny’s Bay Reclamation, Terminals 1, 2 and 5 Upgrading Works and Kai Tak Cruise Terminal Development. I also had an opportunity to participate in civil engineering projects in Indonesia, Thailand, Korea, Australia and Pakistan.
How did your study at HKUST help your
career?
Studying at HKUST definitely helped the development of my career and personality. I am glad that I was in the first class of the Civil and Structural Engineering program. Since I had no senior classmates, I had to be creative and to learn how to do everything on my own. This was really important in the development of my judgment and working style. In addition, the courses offered at HKUST required understanding in the theoretical background and derivation of formulas. HKUST provided me with a good learning environment which helped to shape my professional career.
What is the most important lesson you
learned in industry over these years?
Team work is crucial. In recent years, I have also been aware of our social responsibility, specifically training up the next generation and focusing on public safety. If the first generation transfers 90% of knowledge to the second generation, which in turn transfers 90% of knowledge to the third generation and so on, the fourth generation is likely to obtain only 70% of the knowledge of the first generation. In order to maintain the quality of civi l engineers, I am now serving as a mentor in the Practitioner Mentorship Program organized by the ASCE International Students’ Group, HKUSTCE, which provides a platform for students to obtain a better understanding of civil engineering and our role/responsibility in society.
How do you see the future of the Hong
Kong construction industry?
There will still be a lot of core civil engineering construction projects in Hong Kong in the coming 5 to 10 years. However, Hong Kong has become a developed city. It is expected that the Hong Kong construction industry will have more maintenance and building modification projects (i.e. alterations and additions works), but the number of new construction projects will be reduced. Nevertheless, Hong Kong can be more involved in global construction projects, b e c a u s e H o n g K o n g h a s b e c o m e well-developed in terms of civil engineering knowledge and experience over the past few decades.
Any advice/recommendation to the
current CIVL students?
Firstly, remember that win-win situations among cont rac to rs , c l i en ts , and designers/engineers are possible in practice. Stakeholders do not always
adopt conflicting positions. Secondly, keep in mind the importance of presentation skills. Many students think that being technically strong is enough to succeed. Don’t forget that your ability to present yourself is also crucial. Thirdly, some HKUST students only target on being better than HKU students. Instead, HKUST students should target on being better than the rest of the world. Finally, make use of externa l resources such as practitioners and alumni network.
(Barry’s email: [email protected] )
Dr. Morgan Yang (CIVL PhD 96)Dr. Morgan Yang was the first PhD student from the department, and received his degree i n 1 9 9 6 . H i s dissertation was
“Finite Element Modeling and Aerodynamic Responses of Cable-Supported Bridges” under the supervision of Prof. Paul Chang. His distinguished research focused on the aerodynamic responses of a long span bridge in the time domain under severe wind conditions. The efficient numerical methods he developed have been applied to study the buffeting effects of long span cable supported bridges, including Tsing Ma and Qi Ao Bridges.
Dr Yang joined AECOM (Formerly Maunsell) in Hong Kong as an engineer in 1997 and currently he is a regional director in charge of transportation business in China. Morgan specializes in civil and geotechnical engineering with unique experience in the design of long span bridges, large scale tunnels and metro projects. He has been involving in numerous major transportation infrastructure projects, including the Chongming Tunnel, the largest TBM tunnel in the world, and the Sutong Bridge, the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world.
Morgan has published over 40 technical papers in journals and proceedings. He is an editor of “Tunnel Construction”, a technical journal in China.
(Morgan’s email: [email protected])
Establishment of HKUST CEE PGSA
Professor Christopher Leung,Department Head
973 ProjectNew Faculty Members
DepartmentalUpdate
Alumni Profile
HKUST CEE PGSA
News andUpcoming Events
First board members of HKUST CEE PGSA
Environmentalfriendlyconcrete
Techniquesfor concrete
propertyenhancements
Deteriorationof concrtete
underconplingactions
Microstructuremodeling of
cement paste
Service lifedesign forconcrete
structures
Microstructure-based
constitutiverelations
of concrete
Five tasks of the 973 project
W
A
I
The HKUST CEE PGSA first Board members were elected and are listed below:
PresidentLEUNG Hung Kwong Derrick (MPhil 94)[email protected]
Vice Presidents MING Haiyan (PhD 01)[email protected]
YANG Wenwu Morgan (PhD 96) [email protected]
Committee Members GAO Fuping (Visiting Scholar 00) [email protected]
GE Xuewu Gary (PhD 01) [email protected]
HU Shuang Susan (MSc 08)[email protected]
SIU Wingyee Barbara (PhD 09) [email protected]
SUN Yuenfong Richard (MPhil 99) [email protected]
WANG Yu (MPhil 99) [email protected]
YAN Waiman Ryan (PhD 03) [email protected]
YAO Jun Val (MPhil 00) [email protected]
ZHAN Liangtong Tony (PhD 03)[email protected]
ZHANG Lulu (PhD 05) [email protected]
ZHANG Nianquan Jimmy (PhD 01) [email protected]
AuditorJIN Zengxiang Alan (MPhil 02) [email protected]
hich year did you graduate? If you graduated in the early days, you may not know that the department has gone
through two name changes: from Civil and Structural Engineering to Civil Engineering in 1998 and recently, in 2008, to Civil and Environmental Engineering. You may be puzzled as to why, but our direction and intentions are clear. Certainly our department will surf on the big environment-sustainability-carbon wave which is expected to surge and affect global economic development in the next few decades.
New faculty recruitment is aligned with the transformation of our department. In addition to maintaining our existing strength by recruiting Professors Eric Zhang, Xiangru Zhang, Gang Wang and Jidong Zhao in the last three years, Professor Gustaaf Kikkert in environmental hydraulics and Prof. Jui-Pin Wang in geotechnical engineering are now on board. Some of you probably know Professor Jack Cheng, who was one of our graduates, who now returns to us as a faculty member in construction management. With them, we will better define and will enhance our strengths in:
■ Infrastructure development and planning
■ Green building and sustainable development
■ Intelligent construction materials
■ Environmental and water resources studies
In UG education, currently we have 319 (CIVL), 67 (CIEV), and 18 (Dual Degree) students enrolled in our department. In 2009, 79 (CIVL), 26 (CIEV), and 5 (Dual Degree) students graduated and became our valuable alumni. Eighty-one of them responded to a departmental survey in September 2009 about their job placements. 87% of them are employed and 7% are taking PG studies. Among those who are employed, most are working for consulting firms and
contractors while the rest are associated with government and suppliers/developers. Most of them (76%) received starting salaries between $12,000-16,000.
In the past few years, Mock Construction Training has been gradually replaced by the Summer Internship Scheme which used to be offered only to students with good CGA. With the department’s effort and the strong support from companies and alumni, the number of summer internships offered to our students continues to rise. In 2009, out of 125 students, 116 students have undertaken summer internships. We do need your continuous strong support and hopefully we can completely phase out the Mock Construction Training in the near future.
Preparation for the new 3-3-4 conversion in the university is at full thrust. With the first batch of students arriving in 2012, the university is currently undergoing major expansion and renovation to accommodate the increase of the student population. At the departmental level, curricular changes have also been planned for the four-year programs. After 2012, students will be admitted to schools rather than individual departments. To cope with the diversified background of these students, two major changes will take effect from 2012:
■ There will be common university core courses in Year 1
■ There will be common school pre-major courses in Year 2.
national key project on concrete studies under China’s National Basic Research Program, also known as the 973
project, has commenced on April 18, 2009 at the project’s managing institution, Southeast University in Nanjing, China.
Entitled “Basic Research on Environmentally Friendly Contemporary Concrete”, this project is the first and only 973 project featuring concrete studies. The project is aimed at achieving better understanding of the fundamental hydration mechanism of contemporary concrete, the microstructure formation and its impact on the performance of concrete, as well as the deterioration mechanism of concrete under the combined effects of loading and environmental factors. Such understanding is crucial for effectively using mineral admixtures in contemporary concrete, to develop new concretes with better ductility, and to fulfill the need of service life design, addressing both safety and durability issues. The project is composed of five tasks: microstructure modeling of cement paste; microstructure-based constitutive relations of contemporary concrete; deterioration mechanism of contemporary concrete under the coupling actions of chemical and mechanical loading; service life design theory of concrete structures under complex environments; and key techniques for contemporary concrete property enhancements.
Concrete is the world’s most widely used construction material. In China, the consumption of concrete in 2008 was close to 7 billion tons, accounting for nearly 45% of the global consumption. This project is funded under the realization that China’s infrastructural construction has been developing at a phenomenal speed. It has built half of the world’s new bridges, and in five years’ time, the total highway network in Mainland China will amount to 65,000 kilometers. There is a pressing need for scientists to help prolong the service life of structures and buildings in China. The National Basic Research Project 973 was named after its launch date March 1997. It covers seven research areas, including agriculture, energy, information, resources and the environment, population and health, materials, and synthesis and frontier science.
Prof. Zongjin Li of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has been appointed as the Chief Scientist of the project. He is working closely with a cross-boundary and multi-disciplinary research team comprising 83 scientists from eight institutions in China, including Southeast University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan University of Technology, Zhejiang University, Jiangsu Research Institute of Building Science Co. Ltd, Tongji University, Wuhan University, and Tsinghua University. The 5-year budget for the project is about 30 million RMB. It may be extended after completion of the first phase of research in 2013.
Establishment of HKUST CEE PGSAIn last 24 months, Prof. Paul Chang has initiated discussion among our alumni in Hong Kong, Mainland China and Overseas to establish our alumni association. An organizing committee of our Postgraduates and Scholars Association has been set-up with the support of Derrick Leung, Morgan Yang, Haiyan Ming, Gary Ge, Wang Yu and Jimmy Zhang.
On 14 Mar 2010, we were pleased to announce that our Postgraduates and Scholars Association (HKUST CEE PGSA) was successfully established, witnessed by Prof. Chris Leung (Head of Department), 12 faculty members, honorable guest Prof. Wang Jiayuan (Vice-Dean of the College of Civil Engineering, Shenzhen University), Prof. Paul Chang and over 65 alumni.
Our Association will focus on the following areas: 1. Create an information exchange platform for our alumni; 2. Maintain and expand our alumni network;3. Optimize departmental support to our alumni for their career
development.
If you missed our gathering this time, DON’T WORRY you can send your contact information to us NOW [email protected] or contact a committee member. We will inform you about the details of the next gathering in Hangzhou China (April 2011) in due course. ALL HKUST CEE UGs, PGs, and Scholars and Alumni are welcome.
As a result, the department needs to provide and complete civil engineering training to our students within a two-year time frame. This is in contrast to what people might have expected in converting a three-year program to a four-year one. To overcome this seemingly impossible time constraint, the department has adopted the following philosophy in designing our new curriculum:
■ Equip students with basic transferable skills such as
language, communication, critical thinking, quantitative
reasoning, etc.
■ Train students in engineering fundamentals essential to
both professional engineers and academic researchers.
■ Provide students with sufficient breadth of knowledge
enabling them to function effectively in large civil
engineering projects while maintaining flexibility to pursue
specialization or even a minor degree from other
disciplines.
■ Challenge students with research-type open-ended
problems, stimulate self-learning and improve
problem-solving skills
With these principles in mind, courses for the civil and structural (CIVL) program are grouped into foundation courses, core courses and elective courses. The foundation courses include Introduction to Civil Engineering, Statics and Dynamics, and Strength of Materials. The core courses consist of one main course from each of the six areas: structural, geotechnical, transportation, materials, hydraulics and construction management. Students are required to take all foundation courses and four core courses which should include Structural Analysis and Soil Mechanics. They also need to declare at least one area of specialization and take three elective courses in that area. Of course, the Capstone Design course and the Final Year project remain a required and integrated component in our programs.
Department of
Civil and Environmental EngineeringThe Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
P.1 Words from the Head
P.2 Departmental Update
P.3 New Faculty Members
P.5 973 Project
P.6 Alumni Profile
P.7 HKUST CEE PGSA
P.8 News and Upcoming Events
ISSUE 1 April 2010
Words from the Head
Departmental Update
New Faculty Members
973 Project
01
02
04
05
Alumni Profile
HKUST CEE PGSA
News and Upcoming Events
06
07
08
02 03
04 05
06 07
Consulting firm 65%
Contractor 65%
Supplier/Developer 11%
Goverment 3%
By so doing, the original three-year CIVL program can be packed into two years without sacrificing the depth and breadth of civil engineering training. In addition, the new program will give students more flexibility either to strengthen their professional interests or to explore other minor programs if they wish to. The revision of the civil and environmental program is also based on such philosophy. Details of our new programs will be available on the department’s website as 2012 approaches. If you have any comments or suggestions on our new curriculum, please forward them to the department.
Last but not least, our PG programs continue to grow steadily. Current enrollment includes 24 MPhil and 77 PhD students. In the past year, 12 MPhil and 16 PhD students graduated from our department. About one third of them continued to pursue an academic career in other institutes, working as professors or post-doctoral research fellows, and the remainder chose to practice what they have learned in industry. Our self-financed MSc program in Civil Infrastructural Engineering and Management (CIEM) provides an alternative choice for practicing engineers who wish to acquire advanced and up-to-date knowledge in civil engineering and obtain a post-graduate degree. The program can be completed in either part-time or full-time format and is well received both locally and internationally. Currently, there are 84 students enrolled in this program.
01
Dr. Jack C.P. Cheng Assistant Professor
Jack received both h i s B a c h e l o r a n d MPhil degree from the Department of Civi l Engineering, HKUST in 2004 and 2005, respectively.
He completed his PhD degree in Civi l Engineering at Stanford University in 2009. In 2003, he studied at Columbia University as a visiting student for a year under the Hongkong Bank Foundation Scholarship. He also received the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowship for his PhD study.
Jack’s cur rent research focuses on construction supply chain management, i n f o r m a t i o n a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n technologies in the built environment, and project del ivery and management. In 2008, Jack received the Best Research P a p e r A w a r d a t t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l Conference on Dig i ta l Government Research, and the Student Paper Second Prize at the European Conference on Product and Process Modelling.
Jack was born and grew up in Hong Kong. He l i kes c i ty l i fe , but he a lso en joys outdoor activities especially hiking. Sai Kung is one of his favourite places to hike. When at school, he joined and organized overnight tr ips, with both hik ing and camping, in summer. Squash and bridge are also Jack’s favourites.
Dr. Gustaaf Kikkert Assistant Professor
Dr. Kikkert grew up in The Netherlands and Oman, but obtained his undergraduate d e g r e e , i n C i v i l Engineering, and his PhD degree f rom
Canterbury University in New Zealand. Upon completion of his PhD, Dr. Kikkert moved to the United Kingdom to take up a post of Research Fellow at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. In 2008 he received the Karl Emil Hilgard Hydraulic Award from EWRI, a specialty organization within the ASCE. Dr. Kikkert is a citizen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, having also obtained Permanent Residency status in New Zealand.
The research carried out by Dr. Kikkert in the past six years has been in the area of experimental f luid dynamics and has focused on two topics in particular, buoyant jets and waves. Detailed concentration data for buoyant jets moving along two and three-dimensional paths were obtained to confirm the results of current outfal l modelling software, as well as indicate a reas tha t need more soph is t i ca te m o d e l l i n g t e c h n i q u e s . T h e w a v e experiments were designed to isolate the key fundamental processes, effects of roughness, permeability and sediment transport, which affect the hydrodynamics in the swash zone. Detailed velocity and depth measurements of waves in the swash zone were used to evaluate and parameterise the most important stress terms within the momentum equations and to test and develop advanced numerical models for swash on beaches. Additional topics of interests are turbulent
fluid processes and gravity-driven flows. In all cases involvement in experimental work is paramount.
Dr. Jui-Pin Wang Assistant Professor
JP received both his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from the Department o f G e o s c i e n c e s , N a t i o n a l T a i w a n University in 1999 and
2001, respectively. He completed his PhD d e g r e e i n t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f C i v i l Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at Columbia University in 2007. JP was a geotechnical engineer in the U.S. before coming to HKUST. In his two-year career as an engineer, JP accumulated engineering experience in seismic hazard analysis for nuclear power plant sites.
Currently, JP’s research interest focuses on probabi l i ty and r isk analys is in geotechnical engineering and geosciences, as wel l as geotechnical centr i fuge modeling. JP was born in Taipei, Taiwan. He is a baseball player and a die-hard baseball fan. Other than baseball, JP enjoys rock “n” roll and country music. Bon Jovi is one of JP’s favorite bands. In addition, JP is fond of bike riding and driving. Riding a Ducati to tour the world is one of the “Must-do’s” in JP’s life plans.
WORDSfrom the Head
t is my great pleasure to present the f irst issue of our Newsletter to you. It is the result of many months of hard work
from the faculty members involved. We plan to publish a new issue every six months to facilitate communications among the Department, our students and our alumni.
The Department is now close to 20 years old but we are still undergoing continuous development. The change of university programs to 4-years in 2012 offers a great opportunity to re-visit undergraduate education and to develop a better curriculum for the next generation of engineers. Meanwhile, the global awareness of issues related to sustainability, urbanization and the environment, as well as the frequent occurrence of natural hazards (including earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis), have cal led upon civi l and environmental engineers to provide solutions for the improvement of human well-being. As always, our faculty members are working very hard to make the Department a regional and international leader in teaching and research. We will keep everyone posted on our new endeavors and exciting achievements.
Many of our alumni are having outstanding careers. Some have been promoted toposts as directors or senior associates of major companies, while others have become successful university professors, in both Mainland China and overseas. They are involved in exciting and highly visible construction projects, such as the Burj Dubai and the HK-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. Our students have also been doing very wel l , receiv ing awards from professional organizations, winning international competitions, participating in meaningful voluntary work and organizing educational activities for secondary students. I hope our alumni and students will be actively providing us with interesting stories about their work, achievements and activities, which can be shared with others through the Newsletter.
Besides covering educational and professional aspects, the Newsletter will also have a lighter side. We are going to report on social functions organized by our students or alumni, their interesting undertakings (do you know one of our graduate students recently made a trip to Antarctica?) as well as news on marriages and new-born babies. We are all part of the HKUST Civil and Environmental Engineering family and it’s always nice to know how others are doing.
I hope you’ll enjoy reading the newsletter. Your comments and suggestions for improving its content and/or presentation are most welcome.
PTC
-G13
556
Contact UsEmail: [email protected]: (852) 2358-7154Website: http://www.ce.ust.hk/
Editorial BoardProf. CC ChangProf. Jack ChengProf. Thomas HuProf. Chii ShangMs. Emily Ma
Share your joys and happiness with your classmates! Send photos of your wedding or newborns to [email protected]
Secondary Schools Bridge Demonstration Competition 2010
Wu Zhi Qia ( ) built by the HKUST team無止橋
Prof. Gang Wang won 2009-2010 Li Foundation Heritage Prize
Prof. Gang Wang was recently awarded the 2009-2010 Li Foundation Heritage Prize for Excellence in Creativity. The Heritage Prize is the Li Foundation's top award given to Chinese scholars in all areas of science and medicine, as well as the arts and humanitarian fields of study. Prof. Wang is the only recipient of the prize this year, and he was cited for “outstanding and distinguished research contributions in the field of earthquake engineering and geo-hazard mitigation”.
HKIE Geotechnical Division Award - Best Student 2009-2010
Wang Rui, a 2008-09 CIVL graduate, has been awarded the HKIE Geotechnical Division Award - Best Student 2009-2010.
ASCE Best Final Year Project Award 2009
Safra Abdeen, a 2008-09 CIEV graduate, has been awarded the ASCE Best Final Year Project Award for 2009.
CIVL PG Team won the 2nd place in IDEERS 2009
Our PG team comprising Yu Changli (team leader/ MPhil), Jin Qingxu (MPhil), Wang Yiqiang (PhD) and Zhao Zhiyuan (PhD) has won 2nd place in "Introducing and Demonstrating Earthquake Engineering Research in Schools 2009 (IDEERS 2009)" held by the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering in Taipei.
HKUST Wu Zhi Qiao Team 2009
Our UG and PG students formed the HKUST Wu Zhi Qiao (無止橋)
Team and designed a bridge at Maan Village in Liangshan State, Sichuan. The bridge was successfully built by 40 student volunteers in October 2009.
Secondary Schools Bridge Demonstration Competition 2010
The Civil and Environmental Engineering Students’ Society of the HKUST organized a bridge design competition for secondary school students to promote their interest in the design and construction of civil engineering structures. The final round of the Competition was held on 2 February 2010 and Holy Trinity College won the championship.
Practitioner Mentorship Program 2010
The ASCE International Student Group, HKUSTCE will organize the one-year Practitioner Mentorship Program 2010 to provide our UG students with opportunities to meet and build networks with practicing civil engineers from different sectors. The Mentorship Program will start with a Welcome Dinner which will be held on 22 April 2010.
UGSAC2010
To promote interest and to enhance understanding in basic structural concepts, the Department is organizing a student competition: Undergraduate Structural Analysis Competition 2010 (UGSAC2010) on 24 April 2010 (Saturday) at Leung Yat Sing Lecture Theatre. The scope of UGSAC2010 is "Qualitative and quantitative behaviour of s t r u c t u r e s u n d e r s t a t i c l o a d s " . P l e a s e v i s i t http://www.ce.ust.hk/UGSAC2010 for further details and on-line registration.
2010 Civil and Environmental Engineering Department Alumni Homecoming Reunion
The Department is organizing an alumni homecoming reunion on 5 June 2010. This is a great opportunity to meet classmates and make new friends. In addition to the dinner party, sport events and lab/hall tours will be arranged in the afternoon. Please look for details on the department’s website. If you have any comments or suggestions, please send them to [email protected].
08
Prof. Zongjin Li was appointed as the Chief Scientist of a national 973 project
Basic Research on Environmentally Friendly
Contemporary Concrete- A national 973 project led by Prof. Zongjin Li
HKUST provided me with a good learning environment which helped to shape my professional career- Ir Barry Wong (CIVL BSc 95), Associate Director of Scott Wilson Limited
Ir. Barry Wong (CIVL BSc 95)
In early March, some of our alumni were invited to meet at HKUST and provide feedback on the proposed 334 curriculum of the undergraduate programs offered by our Department. Ir. Barry Wong, who was in the first class of students who graduated from our Department, was interviewed after the meeting. He is currently an Associate Director of Scott Wilson Limited.
What was your career path?
I started my career as a Graduate Engineer in Scott Wilson after I graduated from HKUST. I was appointed as a Resident Engineer for Penny’s Bay Reclamation Stage 1 (the area for Disneyland Development) and am now the Project Manager for some projects in Scott Wilson. I have been involved in various projects covering geotechnical engineering, building structures, and maritime engineering. The major ones include Kwai Chung Container Port Terminal 9, Tuen Mun River Trade Terminal, Penny’s Bay Reclamation, Terminals 1, 2 and 5 Upgrading Works and Kai Tak Cruise Terminal Development. I also had an opportunity to participate in civil engineering projects in Indonesia, Thailand, Korea, Australia and Pakistan.
How did your study at HKUST help your
career?
Studying at HKUST definitely helped the development of my career and personality. I am glad that I was in the first class of the Civil and Structural Engineering program. Since I had no senior classmates, I had to be creative and to learn how to do everything on my own. This was really important in the development of my judgment and working style. In addition, the courses offered at HKUST required understanding in the theoretical background and derivation of formulas. HKUST provided me with a good learning environment which helped to shape my professional career.
What is the most important lesson you
learned in industry over these years?
Team work is crucial. In recent years, I have also been aware of our social responsibility, specifically training up the next generation and focusing on public safety. If the first generation transfers 90% of knowledge to the second generation, which in turn transfers 90% of knowledge to the third generation and so on, the fourth generation is likely to obtain only 70% of the knowledge of the first generation. In order to maintain the quality of civi l engineers, I am now serving as a mentor in the Practitioner Mentorship Program organized by the ASCE International Students’ Group, HKUSTCE, which provides a platform for students to obtain a better understanding of civil engineering and our role/responsibility in society.
How do you see the future of the Hong
Kong construction industry?
There will still be a lot of core civil engineering construction projects in Hong Kong in the coming 5 to 10 years. However, Hong Kong has become a developed city. It is expected that the Hong Kong construction industry will have more maintenance and building modification projects (i.e. alterations and additions works), but the number of new construction projects will be reduced. Nevertheless, Hong Kong can be more involved in global construction projects, b e c a u s e H o n g K o n g h a s b e c o m e well-developed in terms of civil engineering knowledge and experience over the past few decades.
Any advice/recommendation to the
current CIVL students?
Firstly, remember that win-win situations among cont rac to rs , c l i en ts , and designers/engineers are possible in practice. Stakeholders do not always
adopt conflicting positions. Secondly, keep in mind the importance of presentation skills. Many students think that being technically strong is enough to succeed. Don’t forget that your ability to present yourself is also crucial. Thirdly, some HKUST students only target on being better than HKU students. Instead, HKUST students should target on being better than the rest of the world. Finally, make use of externa l resources such as practitioners and alumni network.
(Barry’s email: [email protected] )
Dr. Morgan Yang (CIVL PhD 96)Dr. Morgan Yang was the first PhD student from the department, and received his degree i n 1 9 9 6 . H i s dissertation was
“Finite Element Modeling and Aerodynamic Responses of Cable-Supported Bridges” under the supervision of Prof. Paul Chang. His distinguished research focused on the aerodynamic responses of a long span bridge in the time domain under severe wind conditions. The efficient numerical methods he developed have been applied to study the buffeting effects of long span cable supported bridges, including Tsing Ma and Qi Ao Bridges.
Dr Yang joined AECOM (Formerly Maunsell) in Hong Kong as an engineer in 1997 and currently he is a regional director in charge of transportation business in China. Morgan specializes in civil and geotechnical engineering with unique experience in the design of long span bridges, large scale tunnels and metro projects. He has been involving in numerous major transportation infrastructure projects, including the Chongming Tunnel, the largest TBM tunnel in the world, and the Sutong Bridge, the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world.
Morgan has published over 40 technical papers in journals and proceedings. He is an editor of “Tunnel Construction”, a technical journal in China.
(Morgan’s email: [email protected])
Establishment of HKUST CEE PGSA
Professor Christopher Leung,Department Head
973 ProjectNew Faculty Members
DepartmentalUpdate
Alumni Profile
HKUST CEE PGSA
News andUpcoming Events
First board members of HKUST CEE PGSA
Environmentalfriendlyconcrete
Techniquesfor concrete
propertyenhancements
Deteriorationof concrtete
underconplingactions
Microstructuremodeling of
cement paste
Service lifedesign forconcrete
structures
Microstructure-based
constitutiverelations
of concrete
Five tasks of the 973 project
W
A
I
The HKUST CEE PGSA first Board members were elected and are listed below:
PresidentLEUNG Hung Kwong Derrick (MPhil 94)[email protected]
Vice Presidents MING Haiyan (PhD 01)[email protected]
YANG Wenwu Morgan (PhD 96) [email protected]
Committee Members GAO Fuping (Visiting Scholar 00) [email protected]
GE Xuewu Gary (PhD 01) [email protected]
HU Shuang Susan (MSc 08)[email protected]
SIU Wingyee Barbara (PhD 09) [email protected]
SUN Yuenfong Richard (MPhil 99) [email protected]
WANG Yu (MPhil 99) [email protected]
YAN Waiman Ryan (PhD 03) [email protected]
YAO Jun Val (MPhil 00) [email protected]
ZHAN Liangtong Tony (PhD 03)[email protected]
ZHANG Lulu (PhD 05) [email protected]
ZHANG Nianquan Jimmy (PhD 01) [email protected]
AuditorJIN Zengxiang Alan (MPhil 02) [email protected]
hich year did you graduate? If you graduated in the early days, you may not know that the department has gone
through two name changes: from Civil and Structural Engineering to Civil Engineering in 1998 and recently, in 2008, to Civil and Environmental Engineering. You may be puzzled as to why, but our direction and intentions are clear. Certainly our department will surf on the big environment-sustainability-carbon wave which is expected to surge and affect global economic development in the next few decades.
New faculty recruitment is aligned with the transformation of our department. In addition to maintaining our existing strength by recruiting Professors Eric Zhang, Xiangru Zhang, Gang Wang and Jidong Zhao in the last three years, Professor Gustaaf Kikkert in environmental hydraulics and Prof. Jui-Pin Wang in geotechnical engineering are now on board. Some of you probably know Professor Jack Cheng, who was one of our graduates, who now returns to us as a faculty member in construction management. With them, we will better define and will enhance our strengths in:
■ Infrastructure development and planning
■ Green building and sustainable development
■ Intelligent construction materials
■ Environmental and water resources studies
In UG education, currently we have 319 (CIVL), 67 (CIEV), and 18 (Dual Degree) students enrolled in our department. In 2009, 79 (CIVL), 26 (CIEV), and 5 (Dual Degree) students graduated and became our valuable alumni. Eighty-one of them responded to a departmental survey in September 2009 about their job placements. 87% of them are employed and 7% are taking PG studies. Among those who are employed, most are working for consulting firms and
contractors while the rest are associated with government and suppliers/developers. Most of them (76%) received starting salaries between $12,000-16,000.
In the past few years, Mock Construction Training has been gradually replaced by the Summer Internship Scheme which used to be offered only to students with good CGA. With the department’s effort and the strong support from companies and alumni, the number of summer internships offered to our students continues to rise. In 2009, out of 125 students, 116 students have undertaken summer internships. We do need your continuous strong support and hopefully we can completely phase out the Mock Construction Training in the near future.
Preparation for the new 3-3-4 conversion in the university is at full thrust. With the first batch of students arriving in 2012, the university is currently undergoing major expansion and renovation to accommodate the increase of the student population. At the departmental level, curricular changes have also been planned for the four-year programs. After 2012, students will be admitted to schools rather than individual departments. To cope with the diversified background of these students, two major changes will take effect from 2012:
■ There will be common university core courses in Year 1
■ There will be common school pre-major courses in Year 2.
national key project on concrete studies under China’s National Basic Research Program, also known as the 973
project, has commenced on April 18, 2009 at the project’s managing institution, Southeast University in Nanjing, China.
Entitled “Basic Research on Environmentally Friendly Contemporary Concrete”, this project is the first and only 973 project featuring concrete studies. The project is aimed at achieving better understanding of the fundamental hydration mechanism of contemporary concrete, the microstructure formation and its impact on the performance of concrete, as well as the deterioration mechanism of concrete under the combined effects of loading and environmental factors. Such understanding is crucial for effectively using mineral admixtures in contemporary concrete, to develop new concretes with better ductility, and to fulfill the need of service life design, addressing both safety and durability issues. The project is composed of five tasks: microstructure modeling of cement paste; microstructure-based constitutive relations of contemporary concrete; deterioration mechanism of contemporary concrete under the coupling actions of chemical and mechanical loading; service life design theory of concrete structures under complex environments; and key techniques for contemporary concrete property enhancements.
Concrete is the world’s most widely used construction material. In China, the consumption of concrete in 2008 was close to 7 billion tons, accounting for nearly 45% of the global consumption. This project is funded under the realization that China’s infrastructural construction has been developing at a phenomenal speed. It has built half of the world’s new bridges, and in five years’ time, the total highway network in Mainland China will amount to 65,000 kilometers. There is a pressing need for scientists to help prolong the service life of structures and buildings in China. The National Basic Research Project 973 was named after its launch date March 1997. It covers seven research areas, including agriculture, energy, information, resources and the environment, population and health, materials, and synthesis and frontier science.
Prof. Zongjin Li of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has been appointed as the Chief Scientist of the project. He is working closely with a cross-boundary and multi-disciplinary research team comprising 83 scientists from eight institutions in China, including Southeast University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan University of Technology, Zhejiang University, Jiangsu Research Institute of Building Science Co. Ltd, Tongji University, Wuhan University, and Tsinghua University. The 5-year budget for the project is about 30 million RMB. It may be extended after completion of the first phase of research in 2013.
Establishment of HKUST CEE PGSAIn last 24 months, Prof. Paul Chang has initiated discussion among our alumni in Hong Kong, Mainland China and Overseas to establish our alumni association. An organizing committee of our Postgraduates and Scholars Association has been set-up with the support of Derrick Leung, Morgan Yang, Haiyan Ming, Gary Ge, Wang Yu and Jimmy Zhang.
On 14 Mar 2010, we were pleased to announce that our Postgraduates and Scholars Association (HKUST CEE PGSA) was successfully established, witnessed by Prof. Chris Leung (Head of Department), 12 faculty members, honorable guest Prof. Wang Jiayuan (Vice-Dean of the College of Civil Engineering, Shenzhen University), Prof. Paul Chang and over 65 alumni.
Our Association will focus on the following areas: 1. Create an information exchange platform for our alumni; 2. Maintain and expand our alumni network;3. Optimize departmental support to our alumni for their career
development.
If you missed our gathering this time, DON’T WORRY you can send your contact information to us NOW [email protected] or contact a committee member. We will inform you about the details of the next gathering in Hangzhou China (April 2011) in due course. ALL HKUST CEE UGs, PGs, and Scholars and Alumni are welcome.
As a result, the department needs to provide and complete civil engineering training to our students within a two-year time frame. This is in contrast to what people might have expected in converting a three-year program to a four-year one. To overcome this seemingly impossible time constraint, the department has adopted the following philosophy in designing our new curriculum:
■ Equip students with basic transferable skills such as
language, communication, critical thinking, quantitative
reasoning, etc.
■ Train students in engineering fundamentals essential to
both professional engineers and academic researchers.
■ Provide students with sufficient breadth of knowledge
enabling them to function effectively in large civil
engineering projects while maintaining flexibility to pursue
specialization or even a minor degree from other
disciplines.
■ Challenge students with research-type open-ended
problems, stimulate self-learning and improve
problem-solving skills
With these principles in mind, courses for the civil and structural (CIVL) program are grouped into foundation courses, core courses and elective courses. The foundation courses include Introduction to Civil Engineering, Statics and Dynamics, and Strength of Materials. The core courses consist of one main course from each of the six areas: structural, geotechnical, transportation, materials, hydraulics and construction management. Students are required to take all foundation courses and four core courses which should include Structural Analysis and Soil Mechanics. They also need to declare at least one area of specialization and take three elective courses in that area. Of course, the Capstone Design course and the Final Year project remain a required and integrated component in our programs.
Department of
Civil and Environmental EngineeringThe Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
P.1 Words from the Head
P.2 Departmental Update
P.3 New Faculty Members
P.5 973 Project
P.6 Alumni Profile
P.7 HKUST CEE PGSA
P.8 News and Upcoming Events
ISSUE 1 April 2010
Words from the Head
Departmental Update
New Faculty Members
973 Project
01
02
04
05
Alumni Profile
HKUST CEE PGSA
News and Upcoming Events
06
07
08
02 03
04 05
06 07
Consulting firm 65%
Contractor 65%
Supplier/Developer 11%
Goverment 3%
By so doing, the original three-year CIVL program can be packed into two years without sacrificing the depth and breadth of civil engineering training. In addition, the new program will give students more flexibility either to strengthen their professional interests or to explore other minor programs if they wish to. The revision of the civil and environmental program is also based on such philosophy. Details of our new programs will be available on the department’s website as 2012 approaches. If you have any comments or suggestions on our new curriculum, please forward them to the department.
Last but not least, our PG programs continue to grow steadily. Current enrollment includes 24 MPhil and 77 PhD students. In the past year, 12 MPhil and 16 PhD students graduated from our department. About one third of them continued to pursue an academic career in other institutes, working as professors or post-doctoral research fellows, and the remainder chose to practice what they have learned in industry. Our self-financed MSc program in Civil Infrastructural Engineering and Management (CIEM) provides an alternative choice for practicing engineers who wish to acquire advanced and up-to-date knowledge in civil engineering and obtain a post-graduate degree. The program can be completed in either part-time or full-time format and is well received both locally and internationally. Currently, there are 84 students enrolled in this program.
01
Dr. Jack C.P. Cheng Assistant Professor
Jack received both h i s B a c h e l o r a n d MPhil degree from the Department of Civi l Engineering, HKUST in 2004 and 2005, respectively.
He completed his PhD degree in Civi l Engineering at Stanford University in 2009. In 2003, he studied at Columbia University as a visiting student for a year under the Hongkong Bank Foundation Scholarship. He also received the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowship for his PhD study.
Jack’s cur rent research focuses on construction supply chain management, i n f o r m a t i o n a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n technologies in the built environment, and project del ivery and management. In 2008, Jack received the Best Research P a p e r A w a r d a t t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l Conference on Dig i ta l Government Research, and the Student Paper Second Prize at the European Conference on Product and Process Modelling.
Jack was born and grew up in Hong Kong. He l i kes c i ty l i fe , but he a lso en joys outdoor activities especially hiking. Sai Kung is one of his favourite places to hike. When at school, he joined and organized overnight tr ips, with both hik ing and camping, in summer. Squash and bridge are also Jack’s favourites.
Dr. Gustaaf Kikkert Assistant Professor
Dr. Kikkert grew up in The Netherlands and Oman, but obtained his undergraduate d e g r e e , i n C i v i l Engineering, and his PhD degree f rom
Canterbury University in New Zealand. Upon completion of his PhD, Dr. Kikkert moved to the United Kingdom to take up a post of Research Fellow at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. In 2008 he received the Karl Emil Hilgard Hydraulic Award from EWRI, a specialty organization within the ASCE. Dr. Kikkert is a citizen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, having also obtained Permanent Residency status in New Zealand.
The research carried out by Dr. Kikkert in the past six years has been in the area of experimental f luid dynamics and has focused on two topics in particular, buoyant jets and waves. Detailed concentration data for buoyant jets moving along two and three-dimensional paths were obtained to confirm the results of current outfal l modelling software, as well as indicate a reas tha t need more soph is t i ca te m o d e l l i n g t e c h n i q u e s . T h e w a v e experiments were designed to isolate the key fundamental processes, effects of roughness, permeability and sediment transport, which affect the hydrodynamics in the swash zone. Detailed velocity and depth measurements of waves in the swash zone were used to evaluate and parameterise the most important stress terms within the momentum equations and to test and develop advanced numerical models for swash on beaches. Additional topics of interests are turbulent
fluid processes and gravity-driven flows. In all cases involvement in experimental work is paramount.
Dr. Jui-Pin Wang Assistant Professor
JP received both his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from the Department o f G e o s c i e n c e s , N a t i o n a l T a i w a n University in 1999 and
2001, respectively. He completed his PhD d e g r e e i n t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f C i v i l Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at Columbia University in 2007. JP was a geotechnical engineer in the U.S. before coming to HKUST. In his two-year career as an engineer, JP accumulated engineering experience in seismic hazard analysis for nuclear power plant sites.
Currently, JP’s research interest focuses on probabi l i ty and r isk analys is in geotechnical engineering and geosciences, as wel l as geotechnical centr i fuge modeling. JP was born in Taipei, Taiwan. He is a baseball player and a die-hard baseball fan. Other than baseball, JP enjoys rock “n” roll and country music. Bon Jovi is one of JP’s favorite bands. In addition, JP is fond of bike riding and driving. Riding a Ducati to tour the world is one of the “Must-do’s” in JP’s life plans.
WORDSfrom the Head
t is my great pleasure to present the f irst issue of our Newsletter to you. It is the result of many months of hard work
from the faculty members involved. We plan to publish a new issue every six months to facilitate communications among the Department, our students and our alumni.
The Department is now close to 20 years old but we are still undergoing continuous development. The change of university programs to 4-years in 2012 offers a great opportunity to re-visit undergraduate education and to develop a better curriculum for the next generation of engineers. Meanwhile, the global awareness of issues related to sustainability, urbanization and the environment, as well as the frequent occurrence of natural hazards (including earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis), have cal led upon civi l and environmental engineers to provide solutions for the improvement of human well-being. As always, our faculty members are working very hard to make the Department a regional and international leader in teaching and research. We will keep everyone posted on our new endeavors and exciting achievements.
Many of our alumni are having outstanding careers. Some have been promoted toposts as directors or senior associates of major companies, while others have become successful university professors, in both Mainland China and overseas. They are involved in exciting and highly visible construction projects, such as the Burj Dubai and the HK-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. Our students have also been doing very wel l , receiv ing awards from professional organizations, winning international competitions, participating in meaningful voluntary work and organizing educational activities for secondary students. I hope our alumni and students will be actively providing us with interesting stories about their work, achievements and activities, which can be shared with others through the Newsletter.
Besides covering educational and professional aspects, the Newsletter will also have a lighter side. We are going to report on social functions organized by our students or alumni, their interesting undertakings (do you know one of our graduate students recently made a trip to Antarctica?) as well as news on marriages and new-born babies. We are all part of the HKUST Civil and Environmental Engineering family and it’s always nice to know how others are doing.
I hope you’ll enjoy reading the newsletter. Your comments and suggestions for improving its content and/or presentation are most welcome.
PTC
-G13
556
Contact UsEmail: [email protected]: (852) 2358-7154Website: http://www.ce.ust.hk/
Editorial BoardProf. CC ChangProf. Jack ChengProf. Thomas HuProf. Chii ShangMs. Emily Ma
Share your joys and happiness with your classmates! Send photos of your wedding or newborns to [email protected]
Secondary Schools Bridge Demonstration Competition 2010
Wu Zhi Qia ( ) built by the HKUST team無止橋
Prof. Gang Wang won 2009-2010 Li Foundation Heritage Prize
Prof. Gang Wang was recently awarded the 2009-2010 Li Foundation Heritage Prize for Excellence in Creativity. The Heritage Prize is the Li Foundation's top award given to Chinese scholars in all areas of science and medicine, as well as the arts and humanitarian fields of study. Prof. Wang is the only recipient of the prize this year, and he was cited for “outstanding and distinguished research contributions in the field of earthquake engineering and geo-hazard mitigation”.
HKIE Geotechnical Division Award - Best Student 2009-2010
Wang Rui, a 2008-09 CIVL graduate, has been awarded the HKIE Geotechnical Division Award - Best Student 2009-2010.
ASCE Best Final Year Project Award 2009
Safra Abdeen, a 2008-09 CIEV graduate, has been awarded the ASCE Best Final Year Project Award for 2009.
CIVL PG Team won the 2nd place in IDEERS 2009
Our PG team comprising Yu Changli (team leader/ MPhil), Jin Qingxu (MPhil), Wang Yiqiang (PhD) and Zhao Zhiyuan (PhD) has won 2nd place in "Introducing and Demonstrating Earthquake Engineering Research in Schools 2009 (IDEERS 2009)" held by the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering in Taipei.
HKUST Wu Zhi Qiao Team 2009
Our UG and PG students formed the HKUST Wu Zhi Qiao (無止橋)
Team and designed a bridge at Maan Village in Liangshan State, Sichuan. The bridge was successfully built by 40 student volunteers in October 2009.
Secondary Schools Bridge Demonstration Competition 2010
The Civil and Environmental Engineering Students’ Society of the HKUST organized a bridge design competition for secondary school students to promote their interest in the design and construction of civil engineering structures. The final round of the Competition was held on 2 February 2010 and Holy Trinity College won the championship.
Practitioner Mentorship Program 2010
The ASCE International Student Group, HKUSTCE will organize the one-year Practitioner Mentorship Program 2010 to provide our UG students with opportunities to meet and build networks with practicing civil engineers from different sectors. The Mentorship Program will start with a Welcome Dinner which will be held on 22 April 2010.
UGSAC2010
To promote interest and to enhance understanding in basic structural concepts, the Department is organizing a student competition: Undergraduate Structural Analysis Competition 2010 (UGSAC2010) on 24 April 2010 (Saturday) at Leung Yat Sing Lecture Theatre. The scope of UGSAC2010 is "Qualitative and quantitative behaviour of s t r u c t u r e s u n d e r s t a t i c l o a d s " . P l e a s e v i s i t http://www.ce.ust.hk/UGSAC2010 for further details and on-line registration.
2010 Civil and Environmental Engineering Department Alumni Homecoming Reunion
The Department is organizing an alumni homecoming reunion on 5 June 2010. This is a great opportunity to meet classmates and make new friends. In addition to the dinner party, sport events and lab/hall tours will be arranged in the afternoon. Please look for details on the department’s website. If you have any comments or suggestions, please send them to [email protected].
08
Prof. Zongjin Li was appointed as the Chief Scientist of a national 973 project
Basic Research on Environmentally Friendly
Contemporary Concrete- A national 973 project led by Prof. Zongjin Li
HKUST provided me with a good learning environment which helped to shape my professional career- Ir Barry Wong (CIVL BSc 95), Associate Director of Scott Wilson Limited
Ir. Barry Wong (CIVL BSc 95)
In early March, some of our alumni were invited to meet at HKUST and provide feedback on the proposed 334 curriculum of the undergraduate programs offered by our Department. Ir. Barry Wong, who was in the first class of students who graduated from our Department, was interviewed after the meeting. He is currently an Associate Director of Scott Wilson Limited.
What was your career path?
I started my career as a Graduate Engineer in Scott Wilson after I graduated from HKUST. I was appointed as a Resident Engineer for Penny’s Bay Reclamation Stage 1 (the area for Disneyland Development) and am now the Project Manager for some projects in Scott Wilson. I have been involved in various projects covering geotechnical engineering, building structures, and maritime engineering. The major ones include Kwai Chung Container Port Terminal 9, Tuen Mun River Trade Terminal, Penny’s Bay Reclamation, Terminals 1, 2 and 5 Upgrading Works and Kai Tak Cruise Terminal Development. I also had an opportunity to participate in civil engineering projects in Indonesia, Thailand, Korea, Australia and Pakistan.
How did your study at HKUST help your
career?
Studying at HKUST definitely helped the development of my career and personality. I am glad that I was in the first class of the Civil and Structural Engineering program. Since I had no senior classmates, I had to be creative and to learn how to do everything on my own. This was really important in the development of my judgment and working style. In addition, the courses offered at HKUST required understanding in the theoretical background and derivation of formulas. HKUST provided me with a good learning environment which helped to shape my professional career.
What is the most important lesson you
learned in industry over these years?
Team work is crucial. In recent years, I have also been aware of our social responsibility, specifically training up the next generation and focusing on public safety. If the first generation transfers 90% of knowledge to the second generation, which in turn transfers 90% of knowledge to the third generation and so on, the fourth generation is likely to obtain only 70% of the knowledge of the first generation. In order to maintain the quality of civi l engineers, I am now serving as a mentor in the Practitioner Mentorship Program organized by the ASCE International Students’ Group, HKUSTCE, which provides a platform for students to obtain a better understanding of civil engineering and our role/responsibility in society.
How do you see the future of the Hong
Kong construction industry?
There will still be a lot of core civil engineering construction projects in Hong Kong in the coming 5 to 10 years. However, Hong Kong has become a developed city. It is expected that the Hong Kong construction industry will have more maintenance and building modification projects (i.e. alterations and additions works), but the number of new construction projects will be reduced. Nevertheless, Hong Kong can be more involved in global construction projects, b e c a u s e H o n g K o n g h a s b e c o m e well-developed in terms of civil engineering knowledge and experience over the past few decades.
Any advice/recommendation to the
current CIVL students?
Firstly, remember that win-win situations among cont rac to rs , c l i en ts , and designers/engineers are possible in practice. Stakeholders do not always
adopt conflicting positions. Secondly, keep in mind the importance of presentation skills. Many students think that being technically strong is enough to succeed. Don’t forget that your ability to present yourself is also crucial. Thirdly, some HKUST students only target on being better than HKU students. Instead, HKUST students should target on being better than the rest of the world. Finally, make use of externa l resources such as practitioners and alumni network.
(Barry’s email: [email protected] )
Dr. Morgan Yang (CIVL PhD 96)Dr. Morgan Yang was the first PhD student from the department, and received his degree i n 1 9 9 6 . H i s dissertation was
“Finite Element Modeling and Aerodynamic Responses of Cable-Supported Bridges” under the supervision of Prof. Paul Chang. His distinguished research focused on the aerodynamic responses of a long span bridge in the time domain under severe wind conditions. The efficient numerical methods he developed have been applied to study the buffeting effects of long span cable supported bridges, including Tsing Ma and Qi Ao Bridges.
Dr Yang joined AECOM (Formerly Maunsell) in Hong Kong as an engineer in 1997 and currently he is a regional director in charge of transportation business in China. Morgan specializes in civil and geotechnical engineering with unique experience in the design of long span bridges, large scale tunnels and metro projects. He has been involving in numerous major transportation infrastructure projects, including the Chongming Tunnel, the largest TBM tunnel in the world, and the Sutong Bridge, the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world.
Morgan has published over 40 technical papers in journals and proceedings. He is an editor of “Tunnel Construction”, a technical journal in China.
(Morgan’s email: [email protected])
Establishment of HKUST CEE PGSA
Professor Christopher Leung,Department Head
973 ProjectNew Faculty Members
DepartmentalUpdate
Alumni Profile
HKUST CEE PGSA
News andUpcoming Events
First board members of HKUST CEE PGSA
Environmentalfriendlyconcrete
Techniquesfor concrete
propertyenhancements
Deteriorationof concrtete
underconplingactions
Microstructuremodeling of
cement paste
Service lifedesign forconcrete
structures
Microstructure-based
constitutiverelations
of concrete
Five tasks of the 973 project
W
A
I
The HKUST CEE PGSA first Board members were elected and are listed below:
PresidentLEUNG Hung Kwong Derrick (MPhil 94)[email protected]
Vice Presidents MING Haiyan (PhD 01)[email protected]
YANG Wenwu Morgan (PhD 96) [email protected]
Committee Members GAO Fuping (Visiting Scholar 00) [email protected]
GE Xuewu Gary (PhD 01) [email protected]
HU Shuang Susan (MSc 08)[email protected]
SIU Wingyee Barbara (PhD 09) [email protected]
SUN Yuenfong Richard (MPhil 99) [email protected]
WANG Yu (MPhil 99) [email protected]
YAN Waiman Ryan (PhD 03) [email protected]
YAO Jun Val (MPhil 00) [email protected]
ZHAN Liangtong Tony (PhD 03)[email protected]
ZHANG Lulu (PhD 05) [email protected]
ZHANG Nianquan Jimmy (PhD 01) [email protected]
AuditorJIN Zengxiang Alan (MPhil 02) [email protected]
hich year did you graduate? If you graduated in the early days, you may not know that the department has gone
through two name changes: from Civil and Structural Engineering to Civil Engineering in 1998 and recently, in 2008, to Civil and Environmental Engineering. You may be puzzled as to why, but our direction and intentions are clear. Certainly our department will surf on the big environment-sustainability-carbon wave which is expected to surge and affect global economic development in the next few decades.
New faculty recruitment is aligned with the transformation of our department. In addition to maintaining our existing strength by recruiting Professors Eric Zhang, Xiangru Zhang, Gang Wang and Jidong Zhao in the last three years, Professor Gustaaf Kikkert in environmental hydraulics and Prof. Jui-Pin Wang in geotechnical engineering are now on board. Some of you probably know Professor Jack Cheng, who was one of our graduates, who now returns to us as a faculty member in construction management. With them, we will better define and will enhance our strengths in:
■ Infrastructure development and planning
■ Green building and sustainable development
■ Intelligent construction materials
■ Environmental and water resources studies
In UG education, currently we have 319 (CIVL), 67 (CIEV), and 18 (Dual Degree) students enrolled in our department. In 2009, 79 (CIVL), 26 (CIEV), and 5 (Dual Degree) students graduated and became our valuable alumni. Eighty-one of them responded to a departmental survey in September 2009 about their job placements. 87% of them are employed and 7% are taking PG studies. Among those who are employed, most are working for consulting firms and
contractors while the rest are associated with government and suppliers/developers. Most of them (76%) received starting salaries between $12,000-16,000.
In the past few years, Mock Construction Training has been gradually replaced by the Summer Internship Scheme which used to be offered only to students with good CGA. With the department’s effort and the strong support from companies and alumni, the number of summer internships offered to our students continues to rise. In 2009, out of 125 students, 116 students have undertaken summer internships. We do need your continuous strong support and hopefully we can completely phase out the Mock Construction Training in the near future.
Preparation for the new 3-3-4 conversion in the university is at full thrust. With the first batch of students arriving in 2012, the university is currently undergoing major expansion and renovation to accommodate the increase of the student population. At the departmental level, curricular changes have also been planned for the four-year programs. After 2012, students will be admitted to schools rather than individual departments. To cope with the diversified background of these students, two major changes will take effect from 2012:
■ There will be common university core courses in Year 1
■ There will be common school pre-major courses in Year 2.
national key project on concrete studies under China’s National Basic Research Program, also known as the 973
project, has commenced on April 18, 2009 at the project’s managing institution, Southeast University in Nanjing, China.
Entitled “Basic Research on Environmentally Friendly Contemporary Concrete”, this project is the first and only 973 project featuring concrete studies. The project is aimed at achieving better understanding of the fundamental hydration mechanism of contemporary concrete, the microstructure formation and its impact on the performance of concrete, as well as the deterioration mechanism of concrete under the combined effects of loading and environmental factors. Such understanding is crucial for effectively using mineral admixtures in contemporary concrete, to develop new concretes with better ductility, and to fulfill the need of service life design, addressing both safety and durability issues. The project is composed of five tasks: microstructure modeling of cement paste; microstructure-based constitutive relations of contemporary concrete; deterioration mechanism of contemporary concrete under the coupling actions of chemical and mechanical loading; service life design theory of concrete structures under complex environments; and key techniques for contemporary concrete property enhancements.
Concrete is the world’s most widely used construction material. In China, the consumption of concrete in 2008 was close to 7 billion tons, accounting for nearly 45% of the global consumption. This project is funded under the realization that China’s infrastructural construction has been developing at a phenomenal speed. It has built half of the world’s new bridges, and in five years’ time, the total highway network in Mainland China will amount to 65,000 kilometers. There is a pressing need for scientists to help prolong the service life of structures and buildings in China. The National Basic Research Project 973 was named after its launch date March 1997. It covers seven research areas, including agriculture, energy, information, resources and the environment, population and health, materials, and synthesis and frontier science.
Prof. Zongjin Li of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has been appointed as the Chief Scientist of the project. He is working closely with a cross-boundary and multi-disciplinary research team comprising 83 scientists from eight institutions in China, including Southeast University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan University of Technology, Zhejiang University, Jiangsu Research Institute of Building Science Co. Ltd, Tongji University, Wuhan University, and Tsinghua University. The 5-year budget for the project is about 30 million RMB. It may be extended after completion of the first phase of research in 2013.
Establishment of HKUST CEE PGSAIn last 24 months, Prof. Paul Chang has initiated discussion among our alumni in Hong Kong, Mainland China and Overseas to establish our alumni association. An organizing committee of our Postgraduates and Scholars Association has been set-up with the support of Derrick Leung, Morgan Yang, Haiyan Ming, Gary Ge, Wang Yu and Jimmy Zhang.
On 14 Mar 2010, we were pleased to announce that our Postgraduates and Scholars Association (HKUST CEE PGSA) was successfully established, witnessed by Prof. Chris Leung (Head of Department), 12 faculty members, honorable guest Prof. Wang Jiayuan (Vice-Dean of the College of Civil Engineering, Shenzhen University), Prof. Paul Chang and over 65 alumni.
Our Association will focus on the following areas: 1. Create an information exchange platform for our alumni; 2. Maintain and expand our alumni network;3. Optimize departmental support to our alumni for their career
development.
If you missed our gathering this time, DON’T WORRY you can send your contact information to us NOW [email protected] or contact a committee member. We will inform you about the details of the next gathering in Hangzhou China (April 2011) in due course. ALL HKUST CEE UGs, PGs, and Scholars and Alumni are welcome.
As a result, the department needs to provide and complete civil engineering training to our students within a two-year time frame. This is in contrast to what people might have expected in converting a three-year program to a four-year one. To overcome this seemingly impossible time constraint, the department has adopted the following philosophy in designing our new curriculum:
■ Equip students with basic transferable skills such as
language, communication, critical thinking, quantitative
reasoning, etc.
■ Train students in engineering fundamentals essential to
both professional engineers and academic researchers.
■ Provide students with sufficient breadth of knowledge
enabling them to function effectively in large civil
engineering projects while maintaining flexibility to pursue
specialization or even a minor degree from other
disciplines.
■ Challenge students with research-type open-ended
problems, stimulate self-learning and improve
problem-solving skills
With these principles in mind, courses for the civil and structural (CIVL) program are grouped into foundation courses, core courses and elective courses. The foundation courses include Introduction to Civil Engineering, Statics and Dynamics, and Strength of Materials. The core courses consist of one main course from each of the six areas: structural, geotechnical, transportation, materials, hydraulics and construction management. Students are required to take all foundation courses and four core courses which should include Structural Analysis and Soil Mechanics. They also need to declare at least one area of specialization and take three elective courses in that area. Of course, the Capstone Design course and the Final Year project remain a required and integrated component in our programs.
Department of
Civil and Environmental EngineeringThe Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
P.1 Words from the Head
P.2 Departmental Update
P.3 New Faculty Members
P.5 973 Project
P.6 Alumni Profile
P.7 HKUST CEE PGSA
P.8 News and Upcoming Events
ISSUE 1 April 2010
Words from the Head
Departmental Update
New Faculty Members
973 Project
01
02
04
05
Alumni Profile
HKUST CEE PGSA
News and Upcoming Events
06
07
08
02 03
04 05
06 07
Consulting firm 65%
Contractor 65%
Supplier/Developer 11%
Goverment 3%
By so doing, the original three-year CIVL program can be packed into two years without sacrificing the depth and breadth of civil engineering training. In addition, the new program will give students more flexibility either to strengthen their professional interests or to explore other minor programs if they wish to. The revision of the civil and environmental program is also based on such philosophy. Details of our new programs will be available on the department’s website as 2012 approaches. If you have any comments or suggestions on our new curriculum, please forward them to the department.
Last but not least, our PG programs continue to grow steadily. Current enrollment includes 24 MPhil and 77 PhD students. In the past year, 12 MPhil and 16 PhD students graduated from our department. About one third of them continued to pursue an academic career in other institutes, working as professors or post-doctoral research fellows, and the remainder chose to practice what they have learned in industry. Our self-financed MSc program in Civil Infrastructural Engineering and Management (CIEM) provides an alternative choice for practicing engineers who wish to acquire advanced and up-to-date knowledge in civil engineering and obtain a post-graduate degree. The program can be completed in either part-time or full-time format and is well received both locally and internationally. Currently, there are 84 students enrolled in this program.
01
Dr. Jack C.P. Cheng Assistant Professor
Jack received both h i s B a c h e l o r a n d MPhil degree from the Department of Civi l Engineering, HKUST in 2004 and 2005, respectively.
He completed his PhD degree in Civi l Engineering at Stanford University in 2009. In 2003, he studied at Columbia University as a visiting student for a year under the Hongkong Bank Foundation Scholarship. He also received the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowship for his PhD study.
Jack’s cur rent research focuses on construction supply chain management, i n f o r m a t i o n a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n technologies in the built environment, and project del ivery and management. In 2008, Jack received the Best Research P a p e r A w a r d a t t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l Conference on Dig i ta l Government Research, and the Student Paper Second Prize at the European Conference on Product and Process Modelling.
Jack was born and grew up in Hong Kong. He l i kes c i ty l i fe , but he a lso en joys outdoor activities especially hiking. Sai Kung is one of his favourite places to hike. When at school, he joined and organized overnight tr ips, with both hik ing and camping, in summer. Squash and bridge are also Jack’s favourites.
Dr. Gustaaf Kikkert Assistant Professor
Dr. Kikkert grew up in The Netherlands and Oman, but obtained his undergraduate d e g r e e , i n C i v i l Engineering, and his PhD degree f rom
Canterbury University in New Zealand. Upon completion of his PhD, Dr. Kikkert moved to the United Kingdom to take up a post of Research Fellow at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. In 2008 he received the Karl Emil Hilgard Hydraulic Award from EWRI, a specialty organization within the ASCE. Dr. Kikkert is a citizen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, having also obtained Permanent Residency status in New Zealand.
The research carried out by Dr. Kikkert in the past six years has been in the area of experimental f luid dynamics and has focused on two topics in particular, buoyant jets and waves. Detailed concentration data for buoyant jets moving along two and three-dimensional paths were obtained to confirm the results of current outfal l modelling software, as well as indicate a reas tha t need more soph is t i ca te m o d e l l i n g t e c h n i q u e s . T h e w a v e experiments were designed to isolate the key fundamental processes, effects of roughness, permeability and sediment transport, which affect the hydrodynamics in the swash zone. Detailed velocity and depth measurements of waves in the swash zone were used to evaluate and parameterise the most important stress terms within the momentum equations and to test and develop advanced numerical models for swash on beaches. Additional topics of interests are turbulent
fluid processes and gravity-driven flows. In all cases involvement in experimental work is paramount.
Dr. Jui-Pin Wang Assistant Professor
JP received both his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from the Department o f G e o s c i e n c e s , N a t i o n a l T a i w a n University in 1999 and
2001, respectively. He completed his PhD d e g r e e i n t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f C i v i l Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at Columbia University in 2007. JP was a geotechnical engineer in the U.S. before coming to HKUST. In his two-year career as an engineer, JP accumulated engineering experience in seismic hazard analysis for nuclear power plant sites.
Currently, JP’s research interest focuses on probabi l i ty and r isk analys is in geotechnical engineering and geosciences, as wel l as geotechnical centr i fuge modeling. JP was born in Taipei, Taiwan. He is a baseball player and a die-hard baseball fan. Other than baseball, JP enjoys rock “n” roll and country music. Bon Jovi is one of JP’s favorite bands. In addition, JP is fond of bike riding and driving. Riding a Ducati to tour the world is one of the “Must-do’s” in JP’s life plans.
WORDSfrom the Head
t is my great pleasure to present the f irst issue of our Newsletter to you. It is the result of many months of hard work
from the faculty members involved. We plan to publish a new issue every six months to facilitate communications among the Department, our students and our alumni.
The Department is now close to 20 years old but we are still undergoing continuous development. The change of university programs to 4-years in 2012 offers a great opportunity to re-visit undergraduate education and to develop a better curriculum for the next generation of engineers. Meanwhile, the global awareness of issues related to sustainability, urbanization and the environment, as well as the frequent occurrence of natural hazards (including earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis), have cal led upon civi l and environmental engineers to provide solutions for the improvement of human well-being. As always, our faculty members are working very hard to make the Department a regional and international leader in teaching and research. We will keep everyone posted on our new endeavors and exciting achievements.
Many of our alumni are having outstanding careers. Some have been promoted toposts as directors or senior associates of major companies, while others have become successful university professors, in both Mainland China and overseas. They are involved in exciting and highly visible construction projects, such as the Burj Dubai and the HK-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. Our students have also been doing very wel l , receiv ing awards from professional organizations, winning international competitions, participating in meaningful voluntary work and organizing educational activities for secondary students. I hope our alumni and students will be actively providing us with interesting stories about their work, achievements and activities, which can be shared with others through the Newsletter.
Besides covering educational and professional aspects, the Newsletter will also have a lighter side. We are going to report on social functions organized by our students or alumni, their interesting undertakings (do you know one of our graduate students recently made a trip to Antarctica?) as well as news on marriages and new-born babies. We are all part of the HKUST Civil and Environmental Engineering family and it’s always nice to know how others are doing.
I hope you’ll enjoy reading the newsletter. Your comments and suggestions for improving its content and/or presentation are most welcome.
PTC
-G13
556
Contact UsEmail: [email protected]: (852) 2358-7154Website: http://www.ce.ust.hk/
Editorial BoardProf. CC ChangProf. Jack ChengProf. Thomas HuProf. Chii ShangMs. Emily Ma
Share your joys and happiness with your classmates! Send photos of your wedding or newborns to [email protected]
Secondary Schools Bridge Demonstration Competition 2010
Wu Zhi Qia ( ) built by the HKUST team無止橋
Prof. Gang Wang won 2009-2010 Li Foundation Heritage Prize
Prof. Gang Wang was recently awarded the 2009-2010 Li Foundation Heritage Prize for Excellence in Creativity. The Heritage Prize is the Li Foundation's top award given to Chinese scholars in all areas of science and medicine, as well as the arts and humanitarian fields of study. Prof. Wang is the only recipient of the prize this year, and he was cited for “outstanding and distinguished research contributions in the field of earthquake engineering and geo-hazard mitigation”.
HKIE Geotechnical Division Award - Best Student 2009-2010
Wang Rui, a 2008-09 CIVL graduate, has been awarded the HKIE Geotechnical Division Award - Best Student 2009-2010.
ASCE Best Final Year Project Award 2009
Safra Abdeen, a 2008-09 CIEV graduate, has been awarded the ASCE Best Final Year Project Award for 2009.
CIVL PG Team won the 2nd place in IDEERS 2009
Our PG team comprising Yu Changli (team leader/ MPhil), Jin Qingxu (MPhil), Wang Yiqiang (PhD) and Zhao Zhiyuan (PhD) has won 2nd place in "Introducing and Demonstrating Earthquake Engineering Research in Schools 2009 (IDEERS 2009)" held by the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering in Taipei.
HKUST Wu Zhi Qiao Team 2009
Our UG and PG students formed the HKUST Wu Zhi Qiao (無止橋)
Team and designed a bridge at Maan Village in Liangshan State, Sichuan. The bridge was successfully built by 40 student volunteers in October 2009.
Secondary Schools Bridge Demonstration Competition 2010
The Civil and Environmental Engineering Students’ Society of the HKUST organized a bridge design competition for secondary school students to promote their interest in the design and construction of civil engineering structures. The final round of the Competition was held on 2 February 2010 and Holy Trinity College won the championship.
Practitioner Mentorship Program 2010
The ASCE International Student Group, HKUSTCE will organize the one-year Practitioner Mentorship Program 2010 to provide our UG students with opportunities to meet and build networks with practicing civil engineers from different sectors. The Mentorship Program will start with a Welcome Dinner which will be held on 22 April 2010.
UGSAC2010
To promote interest and to enhance understanding in basic structural concepts, the Department is organizing a student competition: Undergraduate Structural Analysis Competition 2010 (UGSAC2010) on 24 April 2010 (Saturday) at Leung Yat Sing Lecture Theatre. The scope of UGSAC2010 is "Qualitative and quantitative behaviour of s t r u c t u r e s u n d e r s t a t i c l o a d s " . P l e a s e v i s i t http://www.ce.ust.hk/UGSAC2010 for further details and on-line registration.
2010 Civil and Environmental Engineering Department Alumni Homecoming Reunion
The Department is organizing an alumni homecoming reunion on 5 June 2010. This is a great opportunity to meet classmates and make new friends. In addition to the dinner party, sport events and lab/hall tours will be arranged in the afternoon. Please look for details on the department’s website. If you have any comments or suggestions, please send them to [email protected].
08
Prof. Zongjin Li was appointed as the Chief Scientist of a national 973 project
Basic Research on Environmentally Friendly
Contemporary Concrete- A national 973 project led by Prof. Zongjin Li
HKUST provided me with a good learning environment which helped to shape my professional career- Ir Barry Wong (CIVL BSc 95), Associate Director of Scott Wilson Limited
Ir. Barry Wong (CIVL BSc 95)
In early March, some of our alumni were invited to meet at HKUST and provide feedback on the proposed 334 curriculum of the undergraduate programs offered by our Department. Ir. Barry Wong, who was in the first class of students who graduated from our Department, was interviewed after the meeting. He is currently an Associate Director of Scott Wilson Limited.
What was your career path?
I started my career as a Graduate Engineer in Scott Wilson after I graduated from HKUST. I was appointed as a Resident Engineer for Penny’s Bay Reclamation Stage 1 (the area for Disneyland Development) and am now the Project Manager for some projects in Scott Wilson. I have been involved in various projects covering geotechnical engineering, building structures, and maritime engineering. The major ones include Kwai Chung Container Port Terminal 9, Tuen Mun River Trade Terminal, Penny’s Bay Reclamation, Terminals 1, 2 and 5 Upgrading Works and Kai Tak Cruise Terminal Development. I also had an opportunity to participate in civil engineering projects in Indonesia, Thailand, Korea, Australia and Pakistan.
How did your study at HKUST help your
career?
Studying at HKUST definitely helped the development of my career and personality. I am glad that I was in the first class of the Civil and Structural Engineering program. Since I had no senior classmates, I had to be creative and to learn how to do everything on my own. This was really important in the development of my judgment and working style. In addition, the courses offered at HKUST required understanding in the theoretical background and derivation of formulas. HKUST provided me with a good learning environment which helped to shape my professional career.
What is the most important lesson you
learned in industry over these years?
Team work is crucial. In recent years, I have also been aware of our social responsibility, specifically training up the next generation and focusing on public safety. If the first generation transfers 90% of knowledge to the second generation, which in turn transfers 90% of knowledge to the third generation and so on, the fourth generation is likely to obtain only 70% of the knowledge of the first generation. In order to maintain the quality of civi l engineers, I am now serving as a mentor in the Practitioner Mentorship Program organized by the ASCE International Students’ Group, HKUSTCE, which provides a platform for students to obtain a better understanding of civil engineering and our role/responsibility in society.
How do you see the future of the Hong
Kong construction industry?
There will still be a lot of core civil engineering construction projects in Hong Kong in the coming 5 to 10 years. However, Hong Kong has become a developed city. It is expected that the Hong Kong construction industry will have more maintenance and building modification projects (i.e. alterations and additions works), but the number of new construction projects will be reduced. Nevertheless, Hong Kong can be more involved in global construction projects, b e c a u s e H o n g K o n g h a s b e c o m e well-developed in terms of civil engineering knowledge and experience over the past few decades.
Any advice/recommendation to the
current CIVL students?
Firstly, remember that win-win situations among cont rac to rs , c l i en ts , and designers/engineers are possible in practice. Stakeholders do not always
adopt conflicting positions. Secondly, keep in mind the importance of presentation skills. Many students think that being technically strong is enough to succeed. Don’t forget that your ability to present yourself is also crucial. Thirdly, some HKUST students only target on being better than HKU students. Instead, HKUST students should target on being better than the rest of the world. Finally, make use of externa l resources such as practitioners and alumni network.
(Barry’s email: [email protected] )
Dr. Morgan Yang (CIVL PhD 96)Dr. Morgan Yang was the first PhD student from the department, and received his degree i n 1 9 9 6 . H i s dissertation was
“Finite Element Modeling and Aerodynamic Responses of Cable-Supported Bridges” under the supervision of Prof. Paul Chang. His distinguished research focused on the aerodynamic responses of a long span bridge in the time domain under severe wind conditions. The efficient numerical methods he developed have been applied to study the buffeting effects of long span cable supported bridges, including Tsing Ma and Qi Ao Bridges.
Dr Yang joined AECOM (Formerly Maunsell) in Hong Kong as an engineer in 1997 and currently he is a regional director in charge of transportation business in China. Morgan specializes in civil and geotechnical engineering with unique experience in the design of long span bridges, large scale tunnels and metro projects. He has been involving in numerous major transportation infrastructure projects, including the Chongming Tunnel, the largest TBM tunnel in the world, and the Sutong Bridge, the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world.
Morgan has published over 40 technical papers in journals and proceedings. He is an editor of “Tunnel Construction”, a technical journal in China.
(Morgan’s email: [email protected])
Establishment of HKUST CEE PGSA
Professor Christopher Leung,Department Head
973 ProjectNew Faculty Members
DepartmentalUpdate
Alumni Profile
HKUST CEE PGSA
News andUpcoming Events
First board members of HKUST CEE PGSA
Environmentalfriendlyconcrete
Techniquesfor concrete
propertyenhancements
Deteriorationof concrtete
underconplingactions
Microstructuremodeling of
cement paste
Service lifedesign forconcrete
structures
Microstructure-based
constitutiverelations
of concrete
Five tasks of the 973 project
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The HKUST CEE PGSA first Board members were elected and are listed below:
PresidentLEUNG Hung Kwong Derrick (MPhil 94)[email protected]
Vice Presidents MING Haiyan (PhD 01)[email protected]
YANG Wenwu Morgan (PhD 96) [email protected]
Committee Members GAO Fuping (Visiting Scholar 00) [email protected]
GE Xuewu Gary (PhD 01) [email protected]
HU Shuang Susan (MSc 08)[email protected]
SIU Wingyee Barbara (PhD 09) [email protected]
SUN Yuenfong Richard (MPhil 99) [email protected]
WANG Yu (MPhil 99) [email protected]
YAN Waiman Ryan (PhD 03) [email protected]
YAO Jun Val (MPhil 00) [email protected]
ZHAN Liangtong Tony (PhD 03)[email protected]
ZHANG Lulu (PhD 05) [email protected]
ZHANG Nianquan Jimmy (PhD 01) [email protected]
AuditorJIN Zengxiang Alan (MPhil 02) [email protected]
